Of Crowns and Cookies
by whayjhey
Summary: By Olympus tradition, Prince Percy is sent off to a school to learn the ways of becoming the next ruler of his kingdom. No, he doesn't have a crush on Princess Annabeth. Not really. Stop that. He just thinks she's really pretty. And she thinks he's more than annoying, anyway. Royalty AU. Percabeth.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, hello! This is a new story of mine, and I just wanted to try out this universe that I created in my head. It's going to be a little bit confusing, I guess, but I hope you enjoy! See you at the bottom!**

 **I do not own PJO and HoO. All rights belong to Rick Riordan.**

* * *

 **Of Crowns and Cookies**

 **Chapter One**

This arrangement – one that has been practiced for almost a hundred years now – is stupid.

At least, that's what Percy concluded after staring at the obviously old school grounds. There were six bricked buildings, all huge and brown and bearing the academy logo upon its entrance doors. Flanking the structures at the end were twin towers with flags upon their roofs, which, Percy thought, were more than a little overkill.

He was still near the entrance gate with his mother. In front of them was a huge sign: _Olympus Academy for the Royalty._ Percy wanted to barf right then and there, and _maybe_ that would get him kicked out soon enough, because, _ha_. Spontaneously vomiting wasn't royalty decorum at all.

"I can see the look on your face, honey," his mother warned him, though she was grinning at the green field ahead of them. "Act like the fifteen-year-old you already are."

Percy scowled even more. "I want to go home."

"In a year's time, I promise." She turned to face her son. "You're going to love it here. This is where your father and I met, and who knows? Your future queen might be in this school now, too."

He wanted to doubt her, but he knew the likeliness of that possibility. At the age of fifteen, all princes and princesses of the planets of Olympus were required to attend the academy, mainly to prepare them for what's to come when it's their turn to finally rule their respective kingdoms.

 _Four years_ , Percy whined in his head. He'd rather have his mother and father teaching him the ways of his planet instead, but alas. This tradition has been going on for way too long than Percy could count. And besides, the products of the school were nothing to be complained about. Every single kingdom in Olympus was doing a good job with the entire ruling thing. Percy just didn't want to admit the school's positive rating out loud.

The truth was he didn't want to leave home. He'd miss his mom and his dad, his hoverboard that he wasn't allowed to bring (for whatever disciplinary reason his mother had), and just his home in general. When Percy saw the planet of Pixebes, where his academy is, from their ship's navigation screen, he only had one word to describe it: _brown_. He immediately missed the wonderful blue ocean right next to their castle.

"This school's probably a thousand years old," he said. "Why won't they try to rebuild it or something?"

He had a point, though. The school didn't look like it belonged in Olympus' already technologically advanced societies. What made the setting funny now were the different space ships that were landing on the school grounds. There was a lovely contrast between what's old and what's definitely new.

His mother shrugged, laughing. "The students like to keep it this way, I think. Probably to give them an old castle vibe. And it's just on its eighty-ninth year, actually."

"I am _so_ confused."

"Oh, Percy," she laughed again. The tiara on top of her head glinted in the sunlight. "I guarantee you a lovely time. I bet you you're not going to want to leave by the time your first year's over."

"Slow down, mom. I don't even want to go in yet."

"We'll be leaving in a while. Oh, Percy, I'm going to miss you so much!" She hugged him. The thing was Percy was already starting to feel homesick, so he didn't protest even if there were a dozen other royalties to see the affection. New students, Percy guessed, were piling in as more ships landed.

"Keep dad in line for me," Percy mumbled as they pulled away.

She winked. "One day you're going to be just like him." Queen Sally stepped back and motioned for one of the guards that were standing right next to their blue ship. "Hedge, start the engine."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"I'll see you real soon, my little prince."

Percy stood back as he watched his mother be assisted back into their aircraft. He was still standing as the vehicle took off and left the school grounds. He watched as the ship grew into a small speck in the sky, flying to get off the really brown surface of _this_ planet.

He sighed and set his gaze back on the campus.

He was only brought back to reality when someone cleared his throat behind him. He turned around to see a tall blond boy who appeared to be older than he was. He was already wearing the school's uniform (because, Percy noted, the school was _that_ old-fashioned that they still had uniforms) that consisted of a long-sleeved white button down with the school's logo on the left breast pocket. He was wearing the mandatory red tie and black pants.

"Hi," the new guy said. "Lost on the first day?"

"Uh, no," Percy answered. "I was just… I don't know." So much for being a prince and for being eloquent and stuff.

"Nah, that's okay. First day jitters. I get that." He chuckled, stretching out his hand for Percy to shake. "I'm Luke Castellan of Pherena. Nice to meet you."

Percy nodded at Luke, shaking his hand in the process. "Pherena. That's the planet closest to ours. Perseus Jackson of Aspyros, Your Highness."

"We're all royalty and shit here, Perseus," Luke laughed. "No need for that 'Your Highness' bit."

"Uh…" Percy stammered. "Okay, I guess."

To be honest, he was shocked Luke was allowed to say what his mother would call "foul language." He felt like a little kid and he honestly didn't know what to say.

Luke pointed to the smallest of the six buildings. "Anyway, that's the administrator's building right there. You can find the admission office once you get inside. Don't worry because the line's not that long since your room and your schedule's been picked out already. Over there," he pointed to the farthest building on the right. "is the boys' dormitory. You'll have time to settle down before the acquaintance party tonight."

"Party?" Why did he suddenly feel dread?

"Oh, yeah." Luke's eyes glinted with excitement. "All the fresh meat's going to gather at the ballroom tonight. You, along with the other princes, are going to be meeting the princesses for the first time tonight. See you later, Perseus. Have a great first day!"

* * *

His room was already occupied by two other people, but they were not what Percy noticed first.

He remembered what his father vaguely said about the dorm rooms in the academy, and that they were supposed to teach the royalty "modesty." The place was as big as Percy's room back in Aspyros, except this one had three of everything: three beds, three closets, and three tables with matching study chairs. There was a door on the far end of the room probably for the shower. And that was basically it. His father wasn't kidding.

"New roomie!" The brown-haired boy currently bouncing on his bed cheered as Percy walked in. He immediately got up to sport his lanky stature, and just like Luke did, held up his hand for Percy to shake. " Prince Leonardo Valdez of Ceprione! But you can call me Leo!"

Percy shook Leo's hand. "Perseus Jackson. Aspyros. Call me Percy."

"Aspyros, huh?" Leo grinned, showing off all his teeth. "Hey, I've got a joke for you! I bet you're going to rule this school! Since, like, we're in Olympus Academy for Royalty? O.A.R.!"

Percy was lost amidst the former boy's laughter. "Huh?"

"You know, like oar? Because Aspyros and sea trading? And actual ocean vessels?" Leo burst into laughter again. "Man, am I funny! But seriously, though. My dad said your planet's navy is great! How many oceans do you guys have again?"

"Four," Percy answered by heart.

"Man, that's cool! That's, like, half of the eight Olympus has! Your planet must be huge!"

Percy could only smile. He pulled his bags and set them on the empty bed across the two others. Leo went back to his own stuff, while another blond boy who was probably an inch taller than Percy walked up to him.

"His enthusiasm must be because there're no oceans in Ceprione," he told Percy apologetically.

"Ha! In Ceprione?" Leo bragged. "We're all about the volcanoes, Superman!"

"Jason Grace of Katias. Nice to meet you, Percy."

So far he was the most prim and proper of all the princes Percy met. He sauntered back into his side of the room after small talk with Percy, and he proceeded to fold out his clothes neatly onto his bed before placing them inside his closet. Leo, on the other hand, was pulling out a heavy case out of his bag, and he frowned when he saw what was inside of it.

"I thought I left this stupid thing back home," he grumbled, carelessly putting the case on the table next to his bed, making it dangerously dangle on one side. Jason scrambled to push it back farther on the desk. "Mom must've put it back for me."

"Leo, that's your crown," he chastised. "Be careful with it."

"Nah, it's okay." Leo shook his head. "That's not the real one, anyway. I break too much stuff that that's practically a decoy crown. Made it myself."

"It looks real," Percy mused. He thought about his own and made a mental note to himself to hide it inside the very back of his closet. It was an obvious place to hide something so precious, but did the room offer anywhere else, really? And besides, it wasn't like anyone was going to break in or anything. Percy had long ago thought that it was a bad idea to be placing a lot of royals in one single place, but the school guaranteed the best of the best security. No kidnapping crime was reported yet, anyway. So far.

Leo winked. "Talent."

Jason still had his face scrunched up. "You're allowed to have a _decoy_ crown?"

"Yes, princess," Leo teased. "I wish my mom packed up my hoverboard instead, though."

"Hey," Percy nodded his head enthusiastically. "I was wishing of the same thing."

"What's a hoverboard?" Jason asked.

Leo gasped dramatically. "Are you kidding me?! You're from Katias! Your planet _invented_ the hoverboard! It's a board that flies, bro! One of the finest inventions, in my opinion! What do you do during your free time? Study?"

"Yes?" Jason looked confused. "Don't you guys have lessons, too?"

Leo was still in shock. "Man, how scary is King Zeus? Why wouldn't he give his son – the _prince_! – a hoverboard?"

Jason shook his head. "You don't want to know."

"Did you guys hear about the party tonight, though?" The prince of Ceprione changed the subject. Percy was already getting the prediction that there wasn't going to be a single quiet night in their room. He sensed that Jason didn't like to talk much (just like him), but Leo was probably going to do the talking for all three of them.

Percy decided he didn't mind. The awkwardness and peace might make him homesick.

"An acquaintance party, I've heard," Percy said.

Leo jumped excitedly. "You know what that means, right?"

 _Dressing up_ , Percy groaned in his head.

"The _ley_ -dies! Woo!" Leo hollered loud enough to probably be heard in the other rooms. "Those princesses better be ready, because the three hottest princes are now going to rule the school!"

Jason could only raise his eyebrows in confusion. Percy laughed.

His roommates weren't so bad.

So far, so good.

* * *

"Welcome, welcome, welcome!" A tall middle-aged woman walked onto the high platform that was at the far end of the ballroom. Her welcoming grin showed all of her perfect white teeth. She was wearing a long black dress with a matching dark cardigan on her shoulders, and the jewelry she had on was as bright as the chandeliers on the ceiling that Percy was sure he was going to get a migraine from the intensity of the light she was radiating.

"My dear princes and princesses, royals from the distinguished planets of our vast galaxy, welcome to the Olympus Academy for the Royalty!"

There was a roar of applause before the woman on the front raised her hand to bring silence into the room.

"It is not an easy task to be honing the skills and talents of our future leaders, but I know, and so do the rest of the teachers here, that we are merely trying to bring out the best in you, my dear royals, for we know that you already possess the potential to be the next heroes of Olympus." She paused, her eyes surveying the room filled with wide-eyed and probably nervous fifteen-year-olds. "Fret not, my dears. By the end of your four years here in O.A.R., we guarantee nothing but utmost excellence from you. And now, I'd like to introduce myself. From the vast valleys of Mylita – the planet of wisdom and of the scholars-" there was another set of applause, probably from the natives of the planet just mentioned, "I am Miss Minerva Dodds, the current headmistress of the Olympus Academy for the Royalty."

Miss Dodds' speech seemed to put Percy to sleep, which was, he admitted, something rude for a prince to say. And after all, one day he's going to be hearing more of these gruesome speeches, and he might even make some of his own.

To his right, Jason was listening intently to what the headmistress was saying. Leo, on the other hand, probably looked even more bored than he was. He was doing a cycle of buttoning and unbuttoning the top fastening of his green button down.

"I'm hungry," Leo muttered under his breath.

"Me too," Percy whispered back.

From the corner of his eyes he could see Jason smirk at the two of them.

"I told you to eat before coming here," the third boy replied just as quietly but knowingly.

"Her speech is taking forever," Percy grumbled. Nope. Not very prince-like at all. If his mom were here she'd probably smack him at the back of his head, but she'd do it gracefully like what a queen's supposed to be twenty-four seven.

"You're supposed to be listening, Superman," Leo scolded Jason.

"You guys are being loud!" Jason quietly rebutted.

"The three of you are being loud," someone commented in front of them, but the speaker had her back turned to them.

Percy frowned at the blond princess in front of them, but he kept his mouth shut. Yeah, he was being loud and inattentive; he admitted that.

Leo practically cheered when the crowd dissipated after the series of speeches. He immediately called out a, "See you later!" to Percy and Jason before sauntering off to where a group of princesses were having a discussion. The two merely exchanged looks before heading to the refreshments table.

After a while Jason left Percy to see one of his old friends, some prince named Frank Zhang of Olera.

He was left alone standing awkwardly on one of the table's corners. The very royal thing to do was to socialize, make new friends ("allies", his father likes the term) like what a great and noble future king would do. He could feel his embarrassment radiating off of him as he stared at the other prince and princesses. They looked way more mature than he did, and they definitely knew a lot more than what his probably slow brain can afford. Heck, even Leo was making a good impression on all the other kids. And Jason was practically the perfect prince; he can deduce that even after just five hours of knowing him.

He probably looked stupid and weird in his black button down shirt and black pants (because why he chose to wear all black, he didn't know. Probably to ward off any incoming friends). He stared at his watch just so he had something to do, and he wished he didn't drain the battery of his phone before coming here.

He sighed and looked up from his (very interesting) watch.

And that's when he saw her.

Percy was sure she was the girl from earlier, the one who scolded them for not listening to Miss Dare's speech. Her long blond hair was tied up into a neat ponytail with a peach bow fastened on top of it. Her bow matched the sleeveless dress she was wearing, which reached up to her knees. She wasn't wearing her tiara nor did she have any jewelry on, but Percy's first thought of her was that she was pretty.

It must've been the eyes. They were grey and probably really scary if she looked at him straight in the eyes.

Wait. She was.

Percy got a weird sense of panicking. Surely the blond princess wasn't walking towards where he was standing?

Okay, okay. She was.

Percy was positive she was smirking at him.

 **End of Chapter One**

* * *

 **That was the first chapter! What did you guys think? Obviously this one's a bit different from all the other stories I did, but I don't know. If you guys enjoyed this one, then I'll absolutely continue :)**

 **Thank you for reading! Questions and criticisms are welcome!**

 **-YJ**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to those of you who gave this story a chance! You guys reading mean a lot to me! Thank you so much!**

 **The lovely liaregie made me realize I forgot to credit the site where I got the planets' names. There's a page called the Fantasy Name Generators and it's been a wonderful help!**

 **Also, this story is kind of inspired by Star Wars in a way. Haha. Yes, I'm a huge fan, and yes, I liked their concepts that I used some of them for this story. I own absolutely nothing.**

 **Here is chapter two! I do not own PJO or HoO. All belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **Of Crowns and Cookies**

 **Chapter Two**

Percy blinked. Once. Twice.

No doubt about it now. The princess was definitely walking towards his way.

"Good evening," she greeted as she finally stood in front of him. "Perseus Jackson of Aspyros, correct?"

She was smiling. No, she was smirking. She had her eyebrow raised and she had a smug expression on her face. Percy tried to look back into the evening to remember if he stepped on any of the princesses' feet, but no he was pretty sure he was clear.

"Yes." He nodded. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I wasn't given the pleasure of your name."

There. Formality. If she was going to pull it on him, so should he.

Queen Sally would have been very proud.

He was really tempted to ask: _Why do you know me?_ Granted, he was a prince, but as far as he knew, he was only known throughout his kingdom and not anywhere else.

The blonde pursed her lips but retained her smug look. "Hmm. You're polite. My mother said Aspyros natives tend to be otherwise."

Percy frowned.

Who was this princess and why in the world was she messing with him?

"I have yet to know your name and you're already insulting my people." It was a good thing she was pretty and that he was a gentleman. He would've gone full out otherwise. He loved his planet and his soon-to-be people, and this was the first time he actually received an insult for his beloved kingdom. He felt more than horrible.

The princess finally extended her arm out for Percy to shake. "Annabeth Chase of Mylita."

He did the most prince-y thing his mother taught him. He took her hand and placed a soft kiss on the back of it while giving her a small bow. "It's nice to meet you, Princess. Though I'd appreciate it if you didn't insult my people."

He should get a lollipop or something for being nice.

Because _jeesh_. If she thought Aspyros natives were impolite, then those from Mylita must be snobs. He wouldn't say that out loud, of course.

"Oh, hey," he said as an afterthought. "You're from Mylita? Like, where our headmistress is from?"

She still had her head held high. A princess is a princess, he guessed. "It's nice to know you've actually been listening to Miss Dodd's speech."

"Yeah, uh," he muttered apologetically. "I'm sorry for being loud earlier. That was you, wasn't it?"

She cocked her head to the side. "So you do pay attention."

 _Um, whoa?_ , he thought, because, _hey_ , he was trying to be a good guy. He didn't understand why she acted the way she did. "I'm sorry, Princess, but did I do something wrong to you, perhaps?"

Annabeth actually chuckled. "Was that all you got from my planet's name? That it's where our headmistress is from? Tell me, Prince Perseus, does Mylita ring a bell to you? Or do you tend to ignore what's going on in your kingdom?"

Percy huffed. "I'm pretty sure the last time my kingdom had something to do with yours was three years ago and—"

 _Oh._

Oh okay.

"Oh," Percy voiced his thoughts.

"Yes, _oh._ Tell me, Prince Perseus, how is Aspyros doing?"

"Quite well, Princess Annabeth." Was he mad? No, he wasn't trying to be. It was only the first day. He didn't want to give his dad any rival planets. Not anymore, he means. "Thank you for asking."

"Still," the princess persisted. "Aspyros would've been performing better if your father had accepted my father's offer."

"Then, I apologize, Princess." He really didn't want to start arguing. "In behalf of my father and of my kingdom, but that was three years ago. Aspyros is doing fine, and so is Mylita, I presume."

"Funny," she huffed. "Mother also said your kind tends to be hotheaded. You're taking this rather well."

"Your mother, Her Highness, also said we're impolite, but you said otherwise earlier." He was already starting to grin.

"Hmm," was all she said in return.

"Please don't tell me you only approached me to see if I was going to lose it."

Silence. Percy decided that he needed her to teach him how to glare. To, you know, command attention and respect. She was doing a pretty good job of making him squirm.

But she grinned, and held up her hand to flick it in a small wave. "I might have."

"Well," he cleared his throat. "I guess. I don't know. Thank you for gracing my presence?"

"You're welcome, Prince Perseus," she replied jokingly. "Are you enjoying the evening so far?"

"Sure, I guess."

She laughed. Percy noted that she looked even prettier when she smiled. He blushed at the thought. Gods. "Don't lie to me, Prince Perseus. I've been watching you from afar while I was trying to think of a way to make you angry. You've been standing on this spot for quite a long time now."

"Are you always so formal?" He asked instead, ignoring her words because, yeah, he has been standing here for way too long and yeah, he was getting bored and he just wanted to go back to the dorms.

"It's what I've been taught to be." She winked. He was pretty sure his nose flared. ( _Unattractive, Percy. Cut it out_ , he thought.) "Now, tell me. What's a handsome prince like you standing out here alone?"

"You think I'm handsome?"

"I'm being polite, Prince Perseus."

"Percy," he blurted out. Why in the world was this princess making him flustered? "You can call me Percy."

"Prince Percy," she tested the words.

"Without the 'prince.' That's fine. We're all royalty here, anyway," he echoed Luke Castellan's words from earlier.

"I prefer calling you with the 'prince.'"

"Then I guess I just can't call you by your first name, huh, Princess?"

She made a gesture that was probably a shrug. Percy wasn't sure. She had her shoulders straight and everything still. And they have been standing for quite a while now.

"Do you want to sit down, Princess?" he offered, motioning for the seats that were pushed far off to the side, away from the center of the ballroom where all the other royalties were dancing.

"Sitting down with you would mean talking to you for the rest of the evening."

Percy's face reddened for probably the thousandth time that night. "What? I didn't mean to… I mean… What? I wasn't implying _that_. I was just—"

"Being polite, I know," she laughed quietly. She smiled at him, and for a split second Percy thought _that_ was worth the embarrassment. He shook his head slightly to erase the thought. "The Prince of Aspyros. Stammering and mumbling in front of the Princess of Mylita. Tell me, my dear prince, do I make you nervous?"

"Now aren't we full of ourselves tonight?" He laughed nervously. But she was right, of course.

To be honest, this was his first time talking to an actual girl. Sure, he's talked to his mother's servants (his only playmates, really) and the cook back at home. He's never had any friends, except for his bodyguard Hedge. He used to shy away from all the other kids every time there was a gathering in their castle. He wasn't even hesitant to conclude that Leo and Jason were his first ever real friends.

And now he was talking to a _girl._ A princess. A really, really pretty princess.

And she's making him more than nervous. He's blushing more than he should be. He wanted to slap himself because his mother and his tutor definitely taught him to be more eloquent than this fumbling idiot.

He tried offering his arm anyway, and he almost sighed with relief when Annabeth let him lead her to the seats.

Just as they were about to have another conversation again, Leo pranced right in front of Percy, waving his arms too ungracefully for a prince. Annabeth scrunched her nose upon the sight of him. His energy must've been too much for the prim and proper princess.

"Percy, bro," he said excitedly. "I am making my kingdom proud tonight because I am on _faaa-yaaaah!_ "

"Prince Leonardo," Annabeth acknowledged him.

"Aw, come on, Princess, I thought I told you to call me Leo." He pouted but he immediately grinned, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "I see you've met Percy. Dude, she was, like, all over you. She was excited to see where you were after I told her you're my roommate."

Annabeth smiled sweetly at him. "I had a mission to do." She turned to face Percy. "Prince Leonardo over here suddenly joined a discussion with my friends and bragged about having a – and I quote – 'very handsome trio' with his roommates."

"And what did I tell you, Annie?" Leo stretched his arms in Percy's direction, wiggling them as if he was presenting his friend. "Do you guys make a great couple or what? Aspyros and Mylita. Man, that's a cool partnership right there!"

If Percy wasn't sure if he was blushing earlier, he definitely had no doubts now.

"Don't call me 'Annie.'" She glared at the Ceprione Prince. Her grey eyes had a hint of blue in them, Percy noticed. Blue was his favorite color.

Okay. Seriously, Percy?

"Where's Jason?" Percy asked, pushing Leo out of the way and trying to see if he could locate his friend.

"Meh, he's still talking to Frank Zhang." Leo rolled his eyes. "Dude, the guy is dense. Half of the girls here are throwing themselves at him. And he's, like, in this serious discussion about the Air Force or something. And Frank Zhang's actually interested!"

"He's the prince of Katias," Annabeth commented. "Of course he knows a lot about the Air Force. They have the best pilot schools and the best aircrafts."

"Yet Jason doesn't own a hoverboard."

"What's a hoverboard?"

"Okay, seriously!" Leo threw his hands up exasperatedly. "Percy, how could you flirt with someone who doesn't know what a hoverboard is?!"

Percy scowled. "I wasn't flirting." He didn't even know how.

"Valdez out!" He threw a peace sign and walked off to another group of princesses.

"Lovely roommate you got there," Annabeth shook her head, but Percy could see her smile.

"He's cool. Jason and I don't like to talk much, so I'm glad he's around."

"Jason seems like a pretty okay prince, too."

He didn't know why he suddenly got a weird feeling in his stomach. "Yeah, I guess."

"I'm sorry, by the way," she suddenly said.

"For?"

"For annoying you, making you mad." She chuckled. "When mother told me the Prince of Aspyros was my age, I couldn't wait to finally meet you. But I admit it was somewhat of a revenge thing. Dramatic, I know, and you're right. What happened was three years ago and to be honest father doesn't care anymore. I just… wanted to do something for them, I guess."

"Thanks for taking it out on me, then," he laughed but his expression softened. "It's okay, though. At least now you can get over me, right?"

Percy made her laugh again for the third time that night.

"Now who's the one who's full of himself?"

The smile she was giving him was making his stomach hurt for some weird reason.

(And why did it have to be his stomach?)

* * *

"And this girl, Khione," Leo wouldn't stop talking. The boys were already in their bedclothes and were on their respective beds, but Leo was still sitting up and he was facing Percy, who was listening attentively, and Jason, who was reading a book and was pushing his glasses up his nose. "Wow, is she beautiful! I can't wait to talk to her when school starts!"

"Sounds like you had a fun night," Jason commented. He finally closed his book and set it on his nightstand. "That's the fourth girl you can't wait to talk to when school starts."

"Man, this is the life," Leo sighed happily. "Back at home I never had any friends."

Percy chuckled, but he nodded his head slowly. He knew the feeling.

"I only had my sister," Jason shared. "She's two years older, though. So she's a third year now."

Leo faced the blond abruptly. "Do you think you can introduce me to her?"

Jason laughed. "You're practically a player, dude. No way."

"Oh, yeah! That's me! Valdez the player! Woo!"

"I noticed Percy had fun, too." Jason grinned at him.

"Sure," was his only reply. He was glad the only light source they had at the moment was Jason's lamp. His face was burning at the thought of the Princess of Mylita. Not that he was thinking about her a lot. Gods, no way.

"Percy's got a crush on Annabeth!" Leo cried, laughing almost maniacally.

"You're too obvious, my friend," Jason butted in.

"What? _No_ ," Percy defended himself, but he wanted to cover his face with his pillow. "We were just talking. She just approached me because she wanted to settle things between Mylita and Aspyros." Kind of, yeah. "And besides, she left with her friends not long after you left, Leo. So, like. It's no big deal."

"Shut up, Percy." Leo stuck his tongue out at him. "I was a great wingman and you know it."

"What's a wingman?" Jason asked.

Leo sighed. "Jason, my boy, we are going to be teaching you the ways of the real world. And soon."

"Does that have something to do with planes? Or flying? Because you know…wings…"

The dark-haired boys both stared at the Prince of Katias before they decided that they needed to sleep.

* * *

"Economics One, History One, Olympic Literature…," Leo read off the electronic pad he was holding. "Gods. No. _No_. What is this? What am I reading? Where are all the fun stuff?"

Jason, who had his mouth full of pancakes, stared at what was on Leo's screen. He took a big gulp before he spoke. "We have saber practice for gym, though. That's cool. I think blaster shooting's not until our second year, though."

The boys were already in their school uniforms and were down early at the mess hall for their second day at the academy. They were all staring at their holopads, an electronic device that held their class schedules and other information. Official classes didn't start until tomorrow, but the students were buzzing with excitement nonetheless. Today all the freshmen were going to have a tour around the campus.

Percy could already tell the freshmen and the upperclassmen apart. All the fifteen-year-olds looked bright and happy to be in the mess hall _this_ early. All the higher years looked like they had to drag themselves awake.

"My, my," Leo suddenly said. "Turn around now, Percy. The object of your affection just graced the mess hall."

Percy didn't dare turn around. He rolled his eyes at Leo instead, pointing at the plate in front of him. "If you don't hurry up, we'll be missing the tour."

"Did you not hear me? I said Annabeth's here."

"Finish your breakfast, Leo."

The other boy reluctantly obliged right after winking.

Percy did sneak a look, however, once he and his roommates stood up to clear their table. She was sitting a few tables away from theirs and she had two other princesses with her. She was in her uniform like the rest of the students: a simple white button down with a knee-length skirt. She donned her red tie and on her head was another bow like the one she had last night, only this time it matched the color of her tie.

He already knew he wasn't going to see her as much, unless they had the same classes together. The princes' curriculum was a lot different from that of the princesses'. All the general courses, probably, were the only ones they had in common.

Percy didn't even know he was staring for too long. Suddenly Annabeth looked up and caught him looking at her.

He wanted to die of embarrassment.

But she smiled and held her hand up in a small wave. He waved back shyly before Leo could catch him in the act.

He didn't know why his stomach felt weird the entire day.

(And, seriously? Why in the world was it his stomach?)

 **End of Chapter Two**

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! Questions and criticisms are welcome! :)**

 **-YJ**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for reading this story and for reviewing and putting it up on your favorites and follows. You guys are amazing!**

 **To logwet,  the Olympians are not related here unless stated otherwise. :) For your other questions, you'll just have to find out. :)**

 **Here is chapter three! This is an important chapter, so read carefully! Haha. There will be some familiar references to other universes other than what Rick Riordan has. I do not own PJO, HoO, and Star Wars. All rights belong to their rightful owners.**

* * *

 **Of Crowns and Cookies**

 **Chapter Three**

Queen Sally Jackson of Aspyros did _not_ look happy.

"Perseus Jackson!" she scolded through the holopad. "It's been a week since you left and this is the _first_ time you're calling home! Have you forgotten your mother and father already?"

The prince in question chuckled nervously. "Hi, mom."

It was a Friday, which meant that they had saber practice the whole day. Percy thought it was a lot of fun, especially since it was his first time handling a saber. The boys just got back to their dorms and all three of them immediately plopped onto their beds after taking a shower.

Jason left the room a few minutes later, muttering something about homework. Leo crashed and appeared to be in a sleeping coma. Percy took the opportunity to call his home.

His mother huffed, but Percy could tell she was secretly happy. His silence meant he was thoroughly enjoying the academy, which was, Percy was more than happy to admit, a whole lot different from his initial sentiments about the school.

"Hopefully it's because you're enjoying yourself and not for some other reason," she said.

He grinned at her holographic image. "You're quite right, mother. Somebody here's secretly a drug dealer and he's recruited me to join his team. The business has been fun!"

"Perseus Jackson!"

"He invites me to these parties. Why didn't you tell me alcohol's amazing? The girls are pretty fun, too…"

"That's it. I'm calling your father."

"Mom!" he guffawed. "You're overreacting. I'm fine. The school's great."

She still had the stern expression on her face. "I am a mother; I do not overreact."

"My roommates are princes from Katias and Ceprione," he told her to change the subject. "One's somewhere; I don't know. He's probably in the library. He's one of those really smart and responsible people. He's probably doing homework. His name is Jason. The other one – Leo – he's sleeping. Probably tired from all the saber practice we've been doing."

"And the three of you are getting along?"

He nodded excitedly. "Yeah. They're great! You've deprived me from boys my age for too long, mom."

She actually laughed. "Hedge seems to think he's been a wonderful playmate and bodyguard."

"Oh, he was," he chuckled. "He just likes to flirt with all your handmaidens. He thinks he's taught me how to talk to girls."

"And have you? Been talking to girls, I mean?"

Percy rolled his eyes. If they were in the same room at the moment, she would've smacked the back of his head for the very un-prince-y expression. "No, mom. I don't even have that much classes with the princesses. I'm too awkward for women, anyway."

"Don't be silly, Percy," she chastised. "You're the most handsome prince in that school."

"You'll always be my biggest fan, mom," he laughed. "But, no thanks. Jason, on the other hand… Leo likes to call him eye-candy."

"What's an eye-candy?"

He shrugged. "Never mind."

"Speaking of your roommates, you're being equally nice to them, aren't you?"

Percy feigned a gasp and a horrified expression on his face. "What do you mean? Of course I'm being nice! What makes you think otherwise?"

"Do you always make up your bed in the morning?"

"Yes, mom."

"Do you brush your teeth before attempting to talk to your roommates?"

"Yes."

"Do you leave your underwear out in the open for them to see?"

"What? Mom, _no_."

"Do you snore too loudly for them to fall asleep?"

"I don't snore loudly!"

"Yes, you do, honey," Sally teased. "I'm just looking out for their safety. My son can be quite vicious."

Percy playfully grumbled. "I love you, too, mom."

Sally laughed. If he weren't enjoying himself in the academy, he would've been thoroughly homesick. "The palace has been expectantly quiet without you. Your father's even suggesting we put up screaming holographic images of you around the castle. I thought it was rather funny, but I doubt our guests would appreciate an aggravated Prince of Aspyros."

"Is it your and dad's life mission to embarrass me?"

"Maybe. We keep confusing it with trying to love you."

"Oh, _haha_ , mom. I am definitely not coming home for winter break," he threatened.

"More blue cookies for your father, I presume."

"That's not fair!" he whined loudly. Leo actually stirred in his sleep. "Sorry, Leo."

"Oh, dear," his mother made a _tsk_ noise. "Now you're waking up your roommate. I'll talk to you some other time?"

He nodded, reaching out for his mother's holo-image. "Sure, mom. I miss you. Tell dad that I miss him too."

"Of course, dear. Take care of yourself. We love you."

Sally's holographic image soon changed into the blue light emitting from his holopad. Percy sighed, switching off the device and climbing off his bed. He surveyed his room to try to think of something to do. With Jason and Leo both unavailable, he was bored out of his mind already.

He was tired from all the saber practice, but he was restless for something to do. He couldn't sit still doing nothing and talking to no one.

So he decided to take a walk around the campus instead. He scrambled for his shoes and put on his belt where the hilt of his now new saber rested. Today being the first meeting for saber arts, the princes chose their weapons and were immediately taught how to handle one correctly. After a few gripping exercises, they were taught a few sparring techniques. Percy already decided that Fridays were going to be his favorite days.

He paused for a moment to admire the metal shaft. It was grey with black markings for the grip. A tiny button lay rested on nearly one of the edges. When pressed, it revealed a long, blue (his favorite color!) blade.

For the first time in a long time, Percy actually felt like a prince.

* * *

It was ridiculous, really, that he still ended up at the gym even after spending the whole day in it.

He couldn't help it, though. There was something about the sound of the sabers buzzing when in contact. There was something about the flicker of lights every time two people danced around each other in combat. There was something about this sport – this _art_ , because Percy was sure it also was – that drew him in.

And he was just standing there near the doorway, excitedly watching all the princes who challenged each other on the battleground.

"Penny for your thoughts?" someone suddenly asked behind him.

Percy reluctantly shifted his gaze from the battling princes. "Oh. Hi, Luke."

The older boy nodded in acknowledgement. "Perseus." He was still wearing his uniform, but he didn't have his tie on. All the buttons from his polo were unbuttoned to reveal a plain white undershirt beneath.

"Oh, you can call me 'Percy.'" The Aspyros Prince waved his hand in a casual gesture before looking back at the center of the gym.

"Amazing, aren't they?" Luke mused, moving to stand next to the younger boy and following his gaze. "What did you think about saber practice, Percy?"

"I love it," was all he said. He seemed to be entranced.

Luke chuckled. "All princes do."

"But of course. Who would love History One over sparring?"

"You're a smart boy, Percy," Luke laughed again. "Would you like to spar?"

 _That_ caught Percy's attention. He whipped his head to look up at Luke. "Me?"

"Yeah." The blond nodded. "We're both here now. I see you have your saber with you, which is, of course, already standard protocol now that you have one. So, what do you say?"

"Oh." The dark-haired prince suddenly felt like blushing. "I'm not that good. I just started today."

"Hmm. Then we won't spar," Luke decided. "Want to learn a few tricks instead?"

Excitement. "Really? Teach me? You'd do that?"

The Pherena prince was already dropping his bag to the floor and removing his polo. He grinned at Percy as he pulled out the hilt of his sword from his belt. He gently pressed the button on the shaft and out came a bright green blade.

"Cool," Percy muttered as he took out his own weapon. He did the same and proudly showed off his blue blade. He and Luke moved to one side of the gym and stood on opposite sides facing each other. He forgot of how tired he was earlier. He finally found something he loved and actually wanted to do.

"Olympic swords are made out of carefully crafted crystals that produce the light when summoned," Luke was saying. "So yes. This is a _light_ saber. Light. It's a given that sparring skills are important to be a great swordsman, but even brute force bows down to the laws of science. The best thing I've learned through experience is that you can use the light from your sword in more ways than one against your enemies."

"Percy," he continued. "Standard sparring position, please."

"Uh," Percy stammered. "Okay?" He did just as Luke asked. He held out his saber in front of him, the blue light illuminating his face. He adjusted his arms and legs for the position. He looked as if he was anticipating an attack.

Then Luke held up his own sword and let it momentarily hit Percy's blade. In a swift motion he flicked his busy wrist and swooped his blade downwards to the left.

A flash of green and blue light made Percy flinch.

"Ah!" he cried, accidentally pressing the button on the hilt of his saber and retreating the blade. He used his free arm to cover his eyes. The force of his own movement made him stumble backwards until he fell on his bottom.

Luke was softly laughing in the distance.

"Ow," Percy said, furiously blinking to make his vision go back to normal.

Luke walked up to where Percy was still on the floor and held up his hand for him to grab. At least, Percy thought it was his hand. He couldn't really tell. He was still seeing a weird mixture of green and blue and white light.

"Did you see how I did that?"

"You blind people."

"A useful trick, yeah. Here in Olympus Academy, most sparring challenges end when one person isn't able to get up after ten seconds, but the rules depend on who's sparring. You'd be surprised how blinding helps. Sometimes the simplest motor movements such as standing up are difficult to do when your vision's irritated."

Percy could finally see the outlines of things now. He could see Luke shrugging.

"You must win a lot of challenges here, Luke," he commented.

"You forget that there's a catch to the technique."

"What?"

"There's a big chance of blinding yourself, too," Luke pointed out. "It's hard to perform the technique when you have your eyes closed yourself. Manipulating light takes practice. And honestly, I'm having a hard time mastering that too."

"Thanks, Luke." Percy said, honestly feeling grateful and feeling a whole lot excited again. "Do you think you could show me how to do that?"

And so that's how Percy's Friday afternoon went. After a few hours he could already feel the exhaustion burning his limbs alive. Even Luke looked like he needed a break.

"I didn't even notice it was dinner time already," Luke said as he and Percy were gathering their things. "You're actually quite good for a beginner, Percy. You caught on stuff fast."

The other boy didn't know what to say.

To be praised by someone whom he now thinks is a genius when it comes to saber handling, _whoa_.

"Thank you," he replied honestly.

"So…" Luke swung his bag back on his shoulder. "Dinner?"

* * *

"How do you deal with it?" Percy couldn't help but ask Luke once they were already settled on their tables in the mess hall. The afternoon of sparring gave Percy a weird feeling of suddenly trusting Luke, like he was his big brother or someone close. He was already in his third year, and he definitely knew a lot more about the academy and about being a prince in general. Percy liked that he could finally ask someone who understood and knew.

"Deal with what?" Luke answered, taking a big chomp out of the apple he was holding.

"The pressure of ruling someday." Percy was looking at the other boy straight in the eyes. "Why do you act so… I don't know? Calm? Okay? _Fine_?"

The blond blinked. And then laughed. "I forgot you didn't know."

"Didn't know what?"

"Oh, I'm a prince, all right," Luke chuckled. "But I'm third in line for the throne of Pherena."

Percy suddenly felt embarrassed. "Oh. Sorry, I didn't know."

But Luke looked bright and there was still adrenaline in his eyes from the sparring session. "It's okay. My father was the brother of Hermes, the current king of Pherena. When dad died, my uncle took me in like I was his own. I lived with his two sons, my cousins."

"Cousins? Are they here in the academy, too?"

"Mmhm." Then Luke surveyed the room like he was looking for someone. "Connor's actually in his fourth year now. He's next in line after Uncle Hermes. Then there's Travis, who's actually in your year. My dad was originally next after Travis, but you know. Stuff happened. I was fifteen when he died. My rank four became a rank three."

Percy felt like a saber was just aimed at his gut. His friend was his age when his father died; he didn't want to know what that was like, especially since he was alone. "My father doesn't have any brothers or sisters," Percy admitted. "To be honest, I don't know who's next in line after me."

"You must be excited. I heard Aspyros is a beautiful planet. Natives are pretty okay, too."

Percy vaguely remembered what Princess Annabeth had told him a few nights ago, about Aspyros natives being impolite and hotheaded. He slowly shook his head to remove thoughts of the pretty princess he only saw during breakfast times.

"My father expects a lot from me." Percy frowned. "He should be. I mean, I'm an only child and everything. I don't think 'exciting' is the term to describe how I feel about ruling a kingdom."

"But you're up for the challenge, yes?"

He answered without a doubt. "Yes, of course."

"You wouldn't give up Aspyros even for the freedom of just being a normal kid?"

It was a strange question. "Uh… I wouldn't? Besides, I'm way past accepting that I'm never going to have a normal life. Everyone in this academy knows that. We're going to be tasked with a whole planet one day."

Luke's expression suddenly became unreadable. "Connor is," he chuckled. "I'm… reserved but in a bad way. I'm merely a Plan C to Pherena."

"Don't say that, Luke," Percy chastised. It was weird. Scolding someone older than you, he means. But his friend totally had an ugly perspective of things. "You're here in this school because you're just as important as Connor is."

There was a weird silence between the two of them before Luke broke off into a grin.

"You really are a smart one, Perseus Jackson. Aspyros is lucky to have you."

 **End of Chapter Three**

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! Questions and criticisms are welcome, too! :)**

 **-YJ**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for giving this story a chance! :)**

 **I do not own PJO, HoO, and other familiar references in this story. All belong to their rightful owners.**

* * *

 **Of Crowns and Cookies**

 **Chapter Four**

A month had passed since Percy's first day at the academy.

Life was suddenly a comfortable schedule for him. Everyday he'd wake up early with his roommates to prepare for breakfast at the mess hall. He'd eat in happy silence while Jason would review (for probably the hundredth time) for an upcoming test and while Leo would cram for some homework he didn't do the night before. They would always sit on the same table, and afterwards when they're through with their meals, they'd stand up for their eight o'clock classes and Percy would catch a glimpse of Princess Annabeth on her usual spot a few tables away from them.

He hadn't talked to her since that acquaintance party, but they would acknowledge each other on the rare moments they'd pass by each other on the hallways, or when she'd catch him (embarrassingly) staring at her after breakfast.

But, anyway, Fridays were Percy's favorite days when they had saber practice up to two in the afternoon. Sometimes he and Luke would meet up after their classes and duel to their hearts' content and until one of them would give up in exhaustion. Percy liked to think that he'd gotten considerably good since that first session, but he had yet to defeat Luke in a challenge. The Pherena prince was _that_ good.

Percy's other classes were fine, too. He wasn't the best student, but he was catching up since he and his tutor at the palace once upon a time tackled some of the lessons discussed. He especially liked it when Aspyros was mentioned in any of the stories his professors would share.

All in all he was already getting used to life at the academy. The whole thing was becoming monotonous, but he was already comfortable and content enjoying this type of freedom before setting out to face the real world.

Monotonous, that is, until a project in Geography One and a certain Princess of Mylita decided to change the course of what was becoming a usual for Percy.

"I hate Wednesdays," Leo was grumbling over breakfast one day. "It's like… I don't know. Like you have this so-close-yet-so-far relationship with the weekend."

"You just hate it because you have two hours straight of Economics One," Percy pointed out.

Jason nodded in agreement, eyes still on his History textbook.

"I hate Econ One," Leo said instead.

"Who doesn't?" Jason muttered.

Leo dramatically gasped. "You're actually agreeing with me!"

The Katias prince rolled his eyes, which was kind of unusual for Percy to see, considering Jason's formal attitude. Maybe he and Leo were bad influences and were rubbing off on him.

"You try having my teacher as your professor," Jason argued. "All Mr. Charon's doing is talk about how much he thinks he should get a raise since Olympus' economy is fair off, anyway."

"So… you hate Econ One because your prof doesn't teach well?"

"Pretty much."

Leo sighed, turning to face Percy instead. "Percy, we're failing in teaching Jason on how to be normal."

"I think that's a valid and noble excuse to hate on a subject," someone suddenly said behind Percy. All three boys peered around to see Princess Annabeth Chase in her Mylitian glory. She had her uniform on and her shoulder bag slung around her. On her hands was a red tray carrying her breakfast.

"Good morning," she greeted the three boys. "Would you mind if I sit here with you today?"

Both Percy and Jason shook their heads, but Leo looked skeptical.

"This is strange," The Ceprione prince mused. "Why?"

"Maybe I actually want to sit next to three handsome princes today."

That got Leo's interest. "Okay, okay. Percy, scoot over."

Annabeth sat right next to Percy and with Jason and Leo in front of her. She chuckled as she positioned herself comfortably. "My roommates are nowhere to be found, actually. Drew's probably in the library finishing her homework, and Piper said she's going to get ready for her report on Geography One today."

"Geography One?" A feeling of panic dawned on Percy. "Does she have Sir Chiron too?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

He wanted to mentally slap himself. "I'm having the same report on Monday. I haven't started yet."

"What's it about?" Jason asked.

"Eh." Leo shrugged. "You can wait until Sunday night to do that."

"I have to report on a planet other than my own," Percy explained, giving Leo a weird look. "And I don't know about doing this on the last minute. Chiron said that this is forty percent of our grade."

"But you're my cramming buddy, Perce," Leo whined.

"Stop encouraging him, Leonardo." Annabeth shook her head before turning to Percy. "Hey, I can meet you at the library this afternoon. I'm supposed to be there, anyway."

Leo threw his hands up in the air. "Oh, thanks a lot, Annabeth! Now he's going to want to study all the time!"

"That's _Princess_ Annabeth to you," she retorted.

"No, you're 'Annie' for as long as you call me Leonardo."

"Library's fine," Percy said to break their banter.

Leo frowned. "Traitor."

Annabeth smiled, happy things were going her way. "I'll see you at the library then."

Percy tried to control whatever in the gods' name it was that was making his stomach hurt.

"So…," Annabeth continued conversationally. "How's it like being a prince? I'm actually curious about what kind of subjects you boys have. I heard you already have Economics One? We don't have that until next year."

"Word of advice," Jason said. "Do _not_ have Professor Charon for Econ One."

"What kind of gym do you princesses have?" Percy asked.

"Basic life saving and the like," Annabeth replied. "It's quite enjoyable, actually. I just don't like the swimming exercises we're currently having. The changing and the showering are much too tiring. I can't wait for self-defense next year."

"Swimming's fun," Percy defended.

"But of course," she laughed. "You're from Aspyros. You and your people practically live for the water. I'm curious, though, Prince Percy, if you've taken up saber training before. Someone mentioned your frequency at the gym."

"Ha," Leo snickered. "Percy? He lives and breathes saber now. Like a little kid who just got a new teddy bear and becomes emotionally attached to it for the rest of his life."

"Agreed," Jason muttered.

"Bro, that's the second time you're agreeing with me today!"

"I just love it, okay?" Percy tried to justify himself. "It's fun."

"All that obsession's probably paying off," Annabeth noted.

"I'm not sure if obsession's the word."

Leo rolled his eyes. "It could be."

"Guys," Percy insisted. " _Sabers_. They are _cool_."

"Prince Luke says you're pretty good at them, too," the princess of Mylita mentioned.

He looked surprise at the mention of their apparently common friend. "You know Luke?"

She nodded. "He's volunteering for the school's holo-cast, which is the new broadcasting system the student council's planning to launch this year. I'm applying for one of the newscasters, and Prince Luke's in-charge of training them. I heard he's a debating prodigy. Something like that. I'm not sure."

Leo's eyes widened. "Man, that guy is everywhere! Swords master _and_ a speaker? Percy, are you sure this Luke guy's only third in line to the throne? What is he? Like, president of the student body or something?"

"I heard he was running next year."

"Wait." Percy was still fan-girling somewhere down his deep embarrassing gut. "He said I was good with saber practice? Really?"

"Gods, Percy." Leo made a gagging noise. "Who do you have a crush on, really? Annabeth here or Luke? You're spazzing over him."

"Percy likes to talk about Luke all the time," Jason informed Annabeth. He rolled his eyes for the second time that day (and probably for the second time in his entire life).

"Pity," Annabeth laughed. "I was beginning to think we had something, Prince Percy. Oh, well."

Percy nearly choked on his breakfast.

"Don't torture our poor boy," Leo scolded the princess.

The bell for their eight o'clock classes suddenly rang. This was the first time they were too caught up in conversation to take notice of the time. The four of them scrambled to get rid of their trays and trash before walking off into different directions.

"I'll see you at the library later!" Annabeth called out to Percy before she disappeared into one of the classrooms.

* * *

Percy hated to admit it, but this was his first time at the library.

Not that he was avoiding it or anything; he just didn't have a reason to be there before. Reading wasn't his forte, and he preferred to do his homework at the dorms unlike Jason.

Reluctantly he pushed one of the brown wooden doors to reveal untarnished territory in his book.

The library was definitely not what he expected. The room was divided into two; one side contained shelves for the traditional paperbacks and hardbound textbooks, while the other consisted of the new holo-books. In between the two sections were rows and rows of long tables for the students. To the far right near the holo-books were the school's computers. The library, he deduced, was almost as big as the gym.

There were not a lot of people around. He couldn't even see Annabeth yet, so he decided to sit by one of the empty tables.

It wasn't long after he had his things settled on the table that she arrived. She gently smacked three books and her shoulder bag on the platform.

"There you are," she said as she pulled the chair in front of him backwards. She sat right across from him. "I'm sorry; have you been waiting long? I was at that broadcasting applications I was telling you about. The one with Luke training?"

Percy smiled at her before a weird feeling attacked his stomach again ( _okay seriously?_ ). "It's okay. I just arrived, actually. How was the… uh, applications thing?"

She beamed. He could see the blue in her eyes again. "Great, thank you. Although we're kind of low on the princes. Unsurprisingly none of you boys wanted to apply. Would you like to try?"

"No thanks," he chuckled before staring back down on his notebook. "Talking isn't my thing."

"It's going to have to be one day. How is your Geography project?" the princess asked. "Any progress so far?"

Percy sighed. "Not really. I haven't picked out a planet yet. I can't make up my mind. If I could only choose Aspyros, though. This project would be done in a second."

"I'd say the same about Mylita," she shared before her eyes widened. "Hey, you could try making your report about my planet. I could help you out, if you'd like. There were a few books I found last week that I think could help you."

"Really? That would be great!"

She stood up from her seat and returned a few minutes later with two holo-books in hand. "These are one of the newer Mylitian books I saw, but they contain a lot of updated information about the planet. I have another one at the dorms, but it's quite an old one. Remind me to let you borrow it."

"Thank you, Princess," he said earnestly. He glanced at the books she laid out in front of her. "What about you? What are you here for?"

She laughed. "I'm here all the time. I like to do my homework here, just like Prince Jason. He's a lot quieter than you are."

"Oh. Uh, sorry," he apologized. "I'll shut up now, if you'd like."

"Don't be silly, Prince Percy. I'm sure you noticed by now that I like to talk, too." She grinned. "To answer your question more properly, I'm here for a reading assignment on Biology One."

"Biology One? We don't have that. What's it about?"

"Botany. Plants. We're talking about poisonous plants this week." She opened her book to an already bookmarked page. "The _Toxic Tulip_ … the _Pine Poison_ … these plants would be scarier if they didn't have adorable names."

Percy didn't know what to say, so he just smiled at the rambling princess.

It turned out that Annabeth really did like to talk, but she was respectful enough to give Percy some time to read his books and do his project. On the moments they got bored from reading, however, Annabeth would pipe up with some random comment or some story about her life to share.

"You remind me of my brother," she was saying this time. "Well, he looks like me. But your absolute hatred for the library matches his. He's in his fourth year now."

"Absolute hatred might be a little too strong," Percy said. "I just... don't see myself being a regular here. Too many books. I'd rather be at the gym instead."

"See?" She grinned. "Like my brother."

"I don't think I've ever seen your brother around here," Percy said. His books were already pushed aside and so were hers. They definitely weren't talking about Geography and Biology anymore.

What was weird, though, was that even after that first night where they talked to each other for the first time, right now was the only time he actually considered them friends.

And not smile-when-I-see-you-on-the-hallways type of acquaintances.

"Oh, you probably have. He likes to spend his time at the gym, too. But he says he likes using the blaster more. Holding up a saber for too long makes his arms tired. I wouldn't know. I haven't held one before."

It wasn't until Percy stared at his wristwatch that they became aware of the time.

"Oh, hey. It's time for dinner," he announced. "Wow. I didn't know we were here this long."

She stared at the books on their table. "Did you get any work done?"

He didn't know what to say, because while he enjoyed talking the night off with Annabeth, he was more than distracted talking to the pretty princess in front of him. "I can always read back at the dorm," he said instead.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I talk too much."

Percy already guessed somewhere between their conversation that she talked too much because she didn't have anyone else to talk to.

And it was more than okay. He didn't mind at all.

"I don't mind," he voiced his thoughts.

And then, shyly, he admitted, "I had fun."

She smiled, although you could still see her apologetic expression. "So did I. Let's get these books checked out, shall we?"

A few minutes later they were pushing one of the wooden doors open to reveal that the day had gone considerably dark. Percy slung his backpack behind him while Annabeth adjusted the books on her hands.

"Thanks for helping me out," he said earnestly. "I would've crammed this on Sunday night if it weren't for you."

"Thank the heavens for me, then," she laughed playfully.

And then in a weird moment of bravery (and before he could completely chicken out), he asked, "Do you want to have dinner together?"

She looked at him, surprised.

"I mean, I'm sure we can, you know, get the last fifteen minutes of it," he rambled. "I don't know if my roommates or yours are still there but, uh…"

"Prince Percy." She pursed her lips like she was preventing herself from laughing further. "Are you all nervous in front of me again?"

He sighed. "Story of my life."

"If I didn't know you had a thing for Luke, I would've said you had a crush on me instead," she joked, walking past him before turning around. "Now, come on. We don't want to be sleeping on an empty stomach now, do we?"

"I'll carry those books for you," he offered before they could get very far.

"Are you turning me into a distressed damsel?"

"No, but my mother would absolutely kill me if she found out I'm letting a princess carry her books all by herself."

"My pride would diminish if I let a prince do something that's as simple as this."

"Your pride will still be intact," he promised and held out his hands to help her. He carefully took the objects from her grasp and replaced them on his own arms.

They walked in hurried silence to the mess hall. A few students were already rushing back to the dorms, while others like them were just entering the cafeteria to get the last pieces of dinner.

"I'll bring that extra book about Mylita at breakfast tomorrow," she told him once they reached the entrance to the building. "But you have to be careful, though. I stole that book from Mylita's Royal Library."

Percy gasped dramatically but quietly. "Theft!"

"Princesses aren't as angelic as you'd think we are." She winked. Percy wanted to choke right then and there. Annabeth faced the almost empty mess hall. "Is it rude for a princess to be declaring she's really, really hungry? Or is that against etiquette somehow?"

"Thank the gods I'm no princess, then," he said. "Because I'm absolutely starving."

"And so feed the prince we shall."

* * *

Leo and Jason were still awake when Percy finally got back to his room. They weren't even confused as to why he wasn't at dinner with them and why he was arriving so late.

"You have a crush on her, all right," Jason said.

Percy only stuck his tongue out at him. Because he was a prince and he was mature. Yup.

"Oh, you do," Jason continued. "I was at the library the whole time, and I was at the table right in front of yours."

"I didn't notice," Percy defended himself.

"I sat from where you could see me! You didn't say, 'hi', Perce, and if I didn't understand you, I'd be thoroughly hurt!"

Leo sniffed playfully. He made a gesture of wiping a tear away from his cheeks.

"Jason, our little boy is growing up."

 **End of Chapter Four**

* * *

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **-YJ**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks to all those who read this story! You guys rock!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own PJO, HoO, and Star Wars. All rights belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **Of Crowns and Cookies**

 **Chapter Five**

Percy didn't know what he was thinking the second he got out of his Geography One class.

It was his last subject for the day, and when Mr. Chiron gave him a thumbs-up after his report, he darted towards the last place he ever expected himself to be going.

He hurriedly pushed the doors to the library open and quickly looked for the person who was in charge of his thirty-minute glory. He finally spotted her and then he made his way to where she was sitting, pulling out one of the chair right in front of hers.

"You, my dear princess," he told her happily, "are a lifesaver and my hero."

He momentarily forgot that he was usually awkward in front of the pretty Princess of Mylita. He couldn't help it, though. This was one of the many times he felt excited for over things that were considered little, but this was one of the rare moments he felt proud of himself for accomplishing something.

Annabeth looked up from whatever book she was reading to see the Prince of Aspyros grinning widely at her. "I don't recall any lifesaving in the past twenty-four hours."

"Chiron said I got an A on the Mylita report," he informed her. "I feel great. I feel awesome. I feel _invincible_. Do you know how many times I get to accomplish something that's so satisfying? Is this how it feels like to be smart? To be studying? _Oh my gods_."

"Calm down," she laughed. "You're a soon-to-be-king. I'm sure this is just a first to the many amazing things you're going to be doing."

"I can now tell my mom I'm not a complete failure!"

"Congratulations, Percy." She shook her head disbelievingly at him, but she was grinning like she was honestly proud of her friend.

It was only a few seconds later that he realized what she just said.

"Hey, you called me Percy!"

She went back to her back, not registering the new reason for his excitement. "Do I call you anything else?"

"You called me Percy! Without the 'prince'!" He held out his hand under her eyes to get her attention. "Oh, no, Princess! Are you beginning to grow soft on me now? What's wrong? Are you sick? Should I carry you bridal style all the way to the clinic?"

She ignored his realization. "You're incredibly hyper today."

"I am happy!" he announced loudly enough that the librarian actually shot him a glare all the way from the other end of the room. "And you, Princess, are now my new best friend!"

"Percy, is that you? What happened to the awkward prince who wouldn't look me in the eye?" She gasped, closing her book altogether and staring him down. "Oh my goodness. Have I lost my touch? Am I no longer the snobby princess everyone's making me out to be? Am I suddenly not beautiful enough to make boys stutter?"

"I'm not afraid of you anymore!" Apparently, he was still really hyper and he was thoroughly enjoying this banter. "I'm as smart as you are now!"

She pointed her finger out at him. "That's _one_ A, mister! You need a dozen more before you can declare yourself as smart as I am!"

He grabbed her finger and held her hand down on the table. "Be afraid, Annabeth Chase of Mylita! Oh, be afraid! A prince from the kingdom of the sea, taking down someone from the land of the scholars!"

"That would require some _studying_ , you—you Seaweed Brain!"

"Ha!" He grinned wildly at her. "Maybe I _will_ try studying! My new best friend – also known as you, of course – needs my company at the library, anyway!"

"I am _not_ —"

Their banter was cut short when a shadow loomed over their table.

"The two of you," the librarian glared pointedly at the arguing royalties. "Out of the library. _Now_."

She huffed as she walked away.

"And no holding hands in the premises."

They both looked down on the table where Percy's hand was still holding hers down.

Maybe it was because of his saber reflexes, but he pulled away as soon as he realized his face was heating up.

* * *

"I am humiliated," Annabeth repeated for probably the hundredth time that afternoon.

They were in the mess hall now, a few minutes before dinner could be served. They were both sitting on one of the empty tables, a different one from both their usual spots. All the other students had yet to arrive, and Annabeth was taking advantage of announcing her misery on the almost empty room.

Percy was munching on a sandwich he bought despite the fact that dinner was in a few minutes. His hyperness was already dying down, and he decided he was starving after declaring himself smarter than someone who was obviously smarter.

"And I think," he mumbled in between bites. "that this sandwich is one of the best ones I've ever tasted."

"Perseus Jackson," she hissed at him. He would've been afraid if he hadn't concluded a few days ago that the pretty princess can be quite the overdramatic. "We were just kicked out of a _library_. A library! What would my brother say if he finds out?!"

Percy shrugged. "He'd probably say that you were spending too much time in there, anyway."

"I want to cry," she stated, frowning.

"Hey, hey, _don't_ ," he said, mainly because he wasn't sure if she was being serious. "I promise I'll help you kick the librarian's butt the next time we're there."

"Were you really serious about the studying part?"

"I don't know. If it makes my mom proud, sure."

"You can't even sit still for five minutes. An hour of a study session will probably kill you."

"Hush," he instructed. "Once upon a time, I almost missed dinner with you while I was in the library. I think I can handle studying pretty well."

"One A and you're already thinking impossibly," she commented, shaking her head. "I'm actually afraid of what a perfect report card might do to your precious head of kelp."

"Seaweed Brain and a head full of kelp," he repeated her words. "What would your mother say if she finds out her precious princess is insulting a prince?"

" _Ugh_ ," she actually groaned. Percy grinned. "Your inability to make good comebacks was just rubbing off on me."

"Or," he suggested. "You're becoming cool like the rest of us."

"Calling you a Seaweed Brain makes someone cool?"

"Openly teasing people without the formality is cool. Hey, even Jason is rolling his eyes now. It's only a matter of time before you roll your eyes and slouch, too."

"You're impossible, Percy."

"Ha!" he cheered. "You called me just, 'Percy' again! You _are_ becoming normal!"

"I am normal, thank you." But Annabeth stuck her tongue out at him, and it seemed as if it was possible for his grin to grow even wider. "Now, shut up before we get kicked out of the mess hall, too."

"Did you just say, 'shut up?'"

"Did Annabeth just say, 'shut up?'" someone pranced right into the empty space next to Percy. "I'm impressed, mighty Prince of Aspyros. You really must be insufferable if you got Annabeth here to say that. Why, that's the closest thing she's ever done to swearing!"

"Is 'insufferable' a fancy term for 'annoying?'" Percy asked the stranger. She was another princess, dressed in her school uniform like the other girls. She had short, brown hair and dark tanned skin. She was beautiful, Percy could admit that.

"Annabeth taught me that word when she talked about you."

"Piper," Annabeth finally acknowledged the girl next to Percy. "This is, as you know, Perseus Jackson of Aspyros. Percy, this is my roommate, Piper McLean, princess of Edaros."

"The planet that's overpopulated," Percy said without thinking.

Piper gave him a glare as a reward for his honesty. "The planet's overpopulated because my people are very much in love with each other, thank you."

"In love so they tend to…?"

Annabeth actually giggled. "That's what I told her."

Piper heaved a frustrated sigh. "No wonder you like this guy, Annie. You guys are too much alike."

Percy didn't know whether to blush after hearing Piper tease her friend, or scowl after hearing that Annabeth thought he was "insufferable."

And for the second time that day: "Shut up, Piper."

Percy jokingly held up his hands in front of him. "Whoa, slow down, Princess. We're going to have to get used to you being normal, too."

Leo suddenly joined in the conversation, sliding next to Annabeth on the mess hall bench. "Normal? Who? Annabeth?"

Jason sat next to the Princess of Mylita on the other side. He and Leo sandwiched the blonde. "Can I just say that I've been called far from normal and the feeling's not at all too great?"

"Finally," Annabeth said. "Jason understands."

"We're just trying to make Olympus a better place," Leo informed the group before he stared at the princess in front of him. "Piper, hello! I haven't talked to you since the night of the acquaintance party. How's that overpopulated planet of yours?"

"Still overpopulated, thank you." Piper waved Leo off, not hearing the joke for the first time. She looked at the other prince next to her roommate instead. "And this is…?"

"Oh." Jason was caught off-guard once he noticed that the Princess of Edaros was actually talking about him. He held up his hand slowly for her to shake. "Uh… Prince Jason Katias of Grace… ah, Jason _Grace_ of _Katias_ , m'lady."

Percy and Leo shared a look.

"Piper McLean. Edaros. It's a pleasure to meet you." She put on a beaming smile that made her teeth glint under the mess hall lights. She shook Jason's hand and started to pull away after a second, until she realized that he was still holding on.

She gave him a confused look. "Uh…?"

"Oh," Jason said for the second time in under a minute. He pulled his hand back quickly. "Right. Uh, sorry."

He winced, turning to his roommates for help. His expression was something like, _what in the world just happened?_

"So!" Leo decided to break the silence that was only about to form. He shifted his gaze between his two roommates. "Gentlemen! I was thinking that after class tomorrow we head straight to the gym for some brotherhood bonding time! Hey, Percy, you can invite Luke too!"

"Nope," Annabeth answered. "Percy's afternoon is already booked for tomorrow."

Percy turned to look at her. "It is?"

She looked at him pointedly. "Studying, remember? You made a pledge."

Leo raised his eyebrow. " _Studying?_ "

"Percy promised me his company for the rest of the school year."

Jason and Leo zeroed on their roommate.

"What about saber training?" Jason asked.

"And _cramming!_ " Leo stood up dramatically. Almost everyone inside the mess hall looked his way. He pointed an accusing finger at Percy. "You! I thought I _knew_ you! You were my comrade! My brother! My cramming buddy! My best friend!"

"Percy said I'm his best friend now," Annabeth piped up unhelpfully.

Leo glared as he shook his head, eyes still on Percy. "Dead to me."

"Interesting," Jason muttered. He had a playful glint in his eyes.

Piper surveyed the mess hall and snickered at the number of eyes on Leo.

"Are we going to eat dinner or what?"

* * *

True to his word, Percy spent most of his afternoons at the library.

 _Most_ , because sometimes Leo would drag him out in the middle of homework and push him towards the gym, and because sometimes he and Annabeth would ditch the library altogether on the days Percy was craving the sandwiches in the mess hall.

The funny thing was that the "best friend" thing became sort of true.

He and Annabeth spent a lot of time together, considering they didn't have any of the same classes. She and Piper spent their breakfasts and dinners with Percy and his roommates, and the five of them became a little group that people were aware of. On Friday nights when the curfew's extended until ten in the evening, they would spend time outside on the school field, just talking and being regular teenagers who didn't have whole planets on their shoulders.

And Percy and Annabeth—they became a duo. A lot of people saw the blond princess helping the dark-haired prince study at the library a lot. A lot of people didn't wonder why they sometimes saw him hanging out on the lobby of the girls' dorm. A lot of people understood why he sometimes carried a bunch of books that aren't related to any of the princes' subjects. A lot of people didn't question the princess' presence at the gym on some afternoons. A lot of people knew and labeled them best friends.

The Olympus Academy for the Royalty had a relatively small community. People would notice, of course, and people were now sure who's going to end up queen of Aspyros one day.

Oh, they knew of what the other students were saying. They just both chose not to talk about it. After all, they were best friends and they loved each other's company. For now that was what mattered.

Percy in particular got teased a lot. Between Leo's playful smooching noises and Jason's throat-clearing every time Percy mentioned her, the Annabeth references were becoming a usual for him. Even the other princes were constantly teasing him, or they would whoop loudly every time Mylita is mentioned in class or every time they are spotted walking towards the mess hall together for dinner.

Even Luke was honestly curious.

It was Friday, and Percy promised Annabeth they'd study at the library the next day instead. He and Luke were currently at the gym for an overdue sparring session, and they were currently at the center of the area, sweaty and at each other's necks, desperate to knock the other down. A few spectators were watching the intense battle.

"So…" Luke said casually, even though there was nothing casual about their predicament at the moment. The Pherena Prince's green blade expertly dodged Percy's incoming blue one before attempting to strike at him again. Percy quickly held up his saber to block Luke's attack.

They both paused, saber to saber in the middle of the gym.

"I heard you have a lady friend," Luke continued.

Percy sighed, stepping back to give himself another opening for an attack. "Not you, too."

"Hey," Luke laughed in the middle of their fight. This wasn't new; he and Percy have gotten pretty good at small talk while sparring, no matter how weird and dangerous that was. "It's cool, man."

"She's a good friend," was all Percy said. He wasn't going to admit he honestly liked the princess. No way. Luke was his friend, but he was _cool_. 'Cool' probably didn't include gushing over a girl, no matter how beautiful (because Percy decided "pretty" wasn't going to cut it anymore) she was. Besides, he liked the fact that only his roommates knew. It gave them a sort of closeness somehow… even though that's weird for guys.

"You can't fool me, Percy," the blond prince chuckled. "You guys seem pretty close."

"Friends," Percy repeated. He just wanted to focus on the saber sparring for now.

"You're telling me you haven't got any feelings for her?"

Percy was sure his face was heating up, and he was sure it wasn't because of the exhaustion he was feeling. "None," he lied.

"None?"

He didn't want to lie again. He focused on trying to disarm his friend instead.

"Whoa," Luke muttered as he was pushed backwards by the force Percy put on his blocking sword. "Slow down, buddy. I was only curious. Shit, you're strong."

Percy already knew over the course of their friendship that Luke didn't mind swearing. The Aspyros prince still wasn't used to it, however. He could almost see his mother cringing in his head.

"Sorry," Percy apologized.

Then Luke asked out of the blue, still in the middle of their duel. "Hey, we're friends, right?"

It was a weird question. "Of course."

"Friends… so, like, you won't mind talking to Annabeth for me, right?"

That was enough to lose Percy's attention. In his momentary stupor Luke was able to hit the hilt of his saber on his hands, sending the weapon flying out and the blade disappearing back onto the handle. Luke kicked Percy on his chest, pushing the latter prince on his back.

This was probably the hundredth time Luke defeated him in a duel. He had yet to win against him.

"Ow," Percy muttered almost unnecessarily.

"You got dazed there for a second, my friend," Luke chuckled, holding out a hand for Percy to take. He helped him up easily.

"Sorry, uh… what did you ask me again?"

"If you know…" Luke looked nervous, which was weird because Percy was sure he has never seen him like this before. "If you'd talk to Annabeth for me. Just… I don't know? Ask her what she thinks about me?"

"You like Annabeth?"

Luke gave a nervous laugh. "Don't act so surprised. She's pretty, and she's smart. She's a great speaker, too. We've been spending a lot of time together for the broadcasting auditions, but we haven't really talked about anything else. You guys seem close, and, uh, you said you didn't, you know, _like_ her. So I thought maybe…"

Percy didn't say anything, so Luke quickly added, "If only that's okay with you, of course."

A few seconds ago Percy didn't want to admit he liked Annabeth because he didn't think it was cool for a guy to do so, now here was Luke, doing the one thing Percy didn't think he'd do.

"Of course it's okay," he said, trying to grin. He didn't know what to feel. One of his greatest friends likes the same girl he does. Wow. Okay. Were the gods done punishing him yet?

Luke smiled. "Thanks, Percy. Hey, you think we can just keep this to ourselves?"

Percy nodded almost a little too enthusiastically. "Yeah, yeah. Of course."

"Wow. I was scared for a second that you liked her, too," Luke sighed.

Percy didn't answer. Instead he walked over to where his saber landed. He adjusted the hilt of his weapon back on his belt.

"Anyway," Luke decided to change the subject. "You've gotten pretty good with the whole saber practice. You probably would have defeated me today if I hadn't distracted you."

Percy doubted it, but he nodded. "Thanks."

"I wish you're on my team for the Olympics. We could use someone like you."

Percy cocked his head to the side. "The Olympics?"

"Yeah." Luke nodded. "It's this annual sports competition between the students of O.A.R. Everyone's randomly divided into three teams. It's cool and a lot of fun. There are a lot of events such as saber sparring, blaster shooting and ship racing. The best part is that it's a whole week break from all the school work."

"It's fucking epic," he added, grinning.

As Percy listened to Luke talk about the Olympics, he couldn't help but wonder what Annabeth thought of guys who swear.

* * *

He was both a good friend and a bad friend.

A good friend, because on the next day when he and Annabeth were meeting up at the library to catch up on the homework they failed to do the day before, he was trying to do what Luke asked him to do, which was try to ask Annabeth what she thought of the Prince of Pherena.

And a bad friend, because his approach was probably not the best one.

He was a terrible wingman.

"Luke likes you," Percy blurted out to Annabeth, who was in the middle of reading about possible cures for botanical poisons.

But she didn't seem distracted. "What was that?"

"Uh… there's this guy."

"Luke."

"Yes, Luke," he stammered. "He, uh… he kinda… sorta… mentioned that he likes you."

"Hmm," she mused. "That's interesting."

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"What do you think about that?"

"Percy," she said firmly, looking up from her reading. "I'm here for my kingdom. I didn't come to this school to find my prince charming."

And that was all they ever talked about Luke.

To be honest, Percy didn't know what to feel.

He was content with being her best friend for now.

 **End of Chapter Five**

* * *

 **A/N: Leave a review to tell me what you think! Thank you for reading!**

 **-YJ**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: One of two interlude chapters before things begin to turn upside down. Nope, this isn't really a spoiler. Thank you all for reading, reviewing, putting this in your favorites, and for following! I guess it's pretty obvious that this AU story has a lot of details, so I'd like to thank all those who are patient with this story. :)**

 **Also, I'd like to remind everyone that character development is a thing, too. So maybe the Percabeth and the Annabeth being kick-ass thing - (because remember! She's been taught to be a princess!) - might come in later chapters. Thank you all for understanding!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own PJO, HoO, or any other familiar references. All rights belong to their respective owners.

* * *

 **Of Crowns and Cookies**

 **Chapter Six**

"I didn't realize this Olympics thing was _this_ important," Annabeth said as she and Percy read the list of teams for the upcoming sports fest. "And I can't believe they're taking a whole week of academics just for this!"

"Are you kidding?" Percy mumbled sleepily. He was still blinking, staring bleary eyed at the billboard. "No homework! That's the best part!"

"And here I thought I was actually making a difference on your life," she muttered. "I'm in the blue team with… Leo. Is that a good thing? Which team are you on?"

"Red," he answered. "With Piper, apparently. Do you think I'll look good in red?"

"You're starting to sound like Drew, my other roommate."

"Jason's in green." Percy cast his eyes on the listings a little longer, looking for a familiar name. He'd be lying if he said his heart didn't sink a little. "Hey, Luke's on your team, too."

Annabeth made a face, one that's still silly enough for a princess. "Are you still trying to be a good friend and still trying to set us up?"

"I was just saying," Percy defended himself. To be honest, he really didn't like bringing up the fact that Luke liked Annabeth. Either he got this weird, unusual twisty feeling in his gut, or Annabeth tended to smack him at the back of his head every time he mentioned Luke.

"I think the two of you make a better couple," she commented, finally stepping back from the bulletin board and walking towards the mess hall for breakfast. "With all that time you're spending together at the gym… why, I should be jealous!"

He pouted, trying really hard not to make his body react to her shameless flirting. "You're as bad as Leo." He followed her to the mess hall, pushing one of the doors to make her walk ahead of him.

They saw Leo, Jason and Piper already at their usual table, but there was a new person who was talking to Jason. Percy was sure he'd seen him before – maybe at the gym - but he couldn't give a name to his face. He had brown hair and blue eyes, and he had that mischievous glint in his eyes when he smiled… which reminded Percy of Luke somehow.

"What is Connor Stoll doing at our table?" Annabeth asked as they approached.

Percy tried to rack his brain where he heard his name before.

But of course. He was Luke's cousin. And he was the future king of Pherena. His other features resembled Luke's so much that they could pass as brothers.

Leo was the first to see them approach. He held up his hand for Annabeth for a high-five.

"Teammate!" he cheered.

A few days ago Annabeth wouldn't have held up her hand for such an "un-princess-y" gesture. But she raised her hand and gave Leo his high-five. Percy was silently proud of her.

"…team meeting this afternoon," Connor was telling Jason. "Everyone's going to be assigned to a specific committee for the betterment of the group. I'm hoping everyone's going to be there."

"I'll go," Jason promised him.

"Great! Thank you!" Connor finally looked up and noticed the other people in Jason's group of friends. "Freshmen, hello! Connor Stoll of Pherena. I was just talking to Jason here about the upcoming Olympics."

"Are you team captain?" Leo asked.

Connor nodded. "Yeah. Fourth years are supposed to take the position. The higher years of the team decided it to be me this year. Crazy, right?"

"I think you'll do great," Jason encouraged him. "Let's go kick some blue and red butts!"

"Kick some blue and red butts?" Percy repeated, mostly because he was still surprised that Jason was slowly dropping his prim and proper façade with each day that passed.

Leo playfully sniffed, pretending he was getting teary-eyed. "You make me so proud, Jason."

"I'm going to have to rush eat if I don't want to be late for my next class. It was nice meeting you guys," Connor said before he turned to look at Percy. "And you, Perseus Jackson. You're going to be a tough one to beat."

Percy nearly spurted out the fry he stole from Leo's plate. "Me?"

"Of course, you," Connor laughed. "I see you at the gym, too, you know. I'll be honest with you. Luke's the greatest sword fighter I know, but _whoa_. When you spar with him at the gym… I think we finally found Luke's match. And that's a lot to say considering you're just in your first year. Have you had any saber training before the academy?"

"Um… none."

Connor grinned. "Then you're very talented, my friend. I wouldn't be surprised if the Red team's going to make a first year compete on the saber competition. That's going to be a first, however. A first year playing an important event, I mean."

Percy didn't know what to say, so Connor just chuckled and waved. "Okay, I didn't mean to scare you. Have fun on the rest of your day, you guys. And Jason… I will see you later?"

Jason nodded. "Of course."

"All right, Percy!" Piper exclaimed once Connor was out of range from their table. "Our team is _so_ going to win!"

"Not so fast, McLean," Leo taunted her. "Luke is on our team, you know."

Jason snorted, surprising his roommates again. "Please. Percy can take him down."

"I've seen them spar at the gym," Annabeth said. "They're both good, that I can say."

Percy frowned. "I haven't even made Luke fall on his back yet."

"But he's taught you everything you know," Annabeth pointed out. "He's a familiar opponent to you. You know his weaknesses and his strengths. I don't doubt you're going to defeat him one day. It's going to be an interesting match, if the two of you were to duel at the Olympics. The whole school's going to be watching!"

Leo scowled at her. "Whose side are you on, Annie, really?"

Annabeth just grinned, before playfully winking at Percy. For once she didn't clobber Leo for the nickname.

Percy was now awake more than ever.

* * *

Connor Stoll wasn't the only stranger to grace his day.

On the only day he miraculously had lunch alone, a prince set his tray down in front of him. A few seconds later he was munching casually on an apple, staring at Percy as if he wasn't a stranger and as if they'd been lunch buddies since the beginning of the school year.

"Hi," the stranger said. "Perseus Jackson, right? You should be. Otherwise… yikes. This is embarrassing."

For the second time today, Percy was staring at someone who looked strangely familiar. Okay, not strangely. Most students here were related one way or another. The weird thing was, as he was staring at this prince, he _knew_ his blond hair and his gray eyes. He wanted to smack the back of his head because he had to remember this guy.

"Well, are you?" the prince prodded once Percy didn't say anything. "Perseus Jackson, I mean?"

"Uh… yeah," Percy answered, snapping out of his reverie. He didn't like the way this guy's name was at the tip of his tongue, however. "Sorry. Uh, do I know you?"

It would've been really embarrassing if they had met before, but thankfully the stranger in question smiled slightly at him.

"My apologies. I was just really eager to approach you once I heard the Green team's finally having their meeting this afternoon. The Olympics is somewhat of a big deal around here. I, myself, am really competitive. My name is Malcolm Chase of Mylita. I'm the Red's captain this year."

 _Oh_. So that's why he looked familiar.

"You look like Annabeth," he blurted out.

"Well, I am her brother. Hmm. Yes, I heard you had that kinship with my sister. But that's not why I'm here today. Not yet, anyway," Malcolm said.

He and Annabeth had the same gray eyes that made Percy want to squirm. The problem was that Malcolm looked much, much scarier. And taller. And he had a saber. Annabeth said that he was good with a blaster, too.

"But," Malcolm continued. "You have my sister to thank for why I'm talking to you right now. She told me you were good with a saber."

"I don't think she's seen enough saber duels to conclude that." Percy couldn't even make Luke fall yet. What was Annabeth doing bragging about him?

"Oh, but she has." Malcolm looked at the Aspyros prince pointedly. "I trust her judgment. I'm sure you've noticed by now that she's quite intelligent. Of course, you probably already know that, what with all that time you're spending around each other…"

"Uh…"

Percy racked his brain and remembered Annabeth saying that she was nothing like her brother. Did Annabeth even know her brother? He was as terrifying as she was when Percy first met her.

"Anyway, have I mentioned that I'm our team's captain this year?"

Percy nodded. "You have."

And for the first time since the start of their conversation, Malcolm finally broke into a huge grin, one that Annabeth got when she was really happy or impressed. "I'm starting to scare you."

"Should I be honest and say yes?" Percy answered, weirded out that the guy in front of him just wanted to scare him for fun. "Or is that… I don't know? Rude?"

"I'm sorry. Was I becoming too much like my scary sister?"

"She approached me out of the blue, too, the first time. She, uh, she said some weird things," Percy filled in.

"Weird things? Or mean things?" Malcolm cocked his head to the side, taking a bite out of his apple again. "Yeah, she told me about grilling the Prince of Aspyros for what happened three years ago between our planets. I scolded her for it, too, but I swear sometimes she's the older sibling between the two of us. She's got my mother's snobby attitude. I apologize for that."

Percy shook his head. "No, she's cool. Annabeth is nice."

"She told me you were her best friend."

The statement made Percy's eyes widen. "Really? Uh, I mean. I didn't know she took that joke seriously. She, uh…"

"It's fine, Percy," Malcolm laughed. "I actually should be thanking you. I don't even see the pretentious princess in her anymore. She's laughing a lot more now. Frankly, I missed that Annabeth. The one before she took all of her princess duties too seriously. Now she hits me on the back of the head less!"

"Did she take punching lessons, by the way?" Because Percy knew from firsthand experiences that Annabeth's punches hurt more than a lot…

Malcolm looked like he visibly shuddered. "I wonder the same thing. Anyway, where were we? Right. The Red Team. Team captain. Annabeth said you spar pretty well. Would you like to represent our team for the saber competition?"

Percy gaped at him. "But I'm a first year."

"A really skillful first year," Malcolm corrected. "All the fourth years who hang out at the gym agree you're the best the team's got. Besides…" he suddenly looked around the mess hall with his head down, as if he was afraid someone was going to catch him in the act. "We all know the Blue team's going to put up Luke on the stand. And you know him. You know how he fights."

"He's stronger than I am. I haven't beat him yet," Percy repeated for probably the hundredth time that day. Why did people assume that this scrawny freshman can take down someone who has been sparring for years?

Malcolm shrugged. "The Olympics is still a week away. I'd offer someone to train you from our team but… you know. You already have Luke coaching you. He's the best the school has."

"We're doomed."

"Quite the pessimistic one, aren't we? Tell you what." Malcolm pursed his lips. Now he looked a lot like Annabeth when she was thinking about something, Percy thought. Or when he was sure she was plotting several ways to kill him for being annoying. "We can get some of the guys – including me – to at least help you duel against other people. Are you free this afternoon? We can head out to the gym later. I'm not much of a saber guy, but I want to help you out."

Percy made a mental note to tell Annabeth that he wouldn't be able to meet her at the library today. "I'll be there."

"Don't worry," Malcolm joked. "I'll reassure my sister I'm not trying to steal you away from her."

"Um…"

"I'm not usually nosy," the Prince of Mylita snorted. "But I've heard the rumors, and as Annabeth's brother, I should be concerned. Okay, never mind. That was an excuse. I know Annabeth will hit me again if I ask her, so I'll just ask you instead."

"Uh… what?"

"Are you really dating my sister?" Malcolm asked. "Because, like I said, there are rumors. I see her at the gym sometimes waiting for you. And those aren't the only times I see you together."

"No," Percy clarified. "We aren't dating. I mean, uh, your sister's great… but, uh, no."

This was probably the millionth time he lost his dignity in front of a Mylitian native. Was that planet trying to kill him? Was it their vision to embarrass him? Did they want to see Percy's face turn into a color of a tomato forever?

Malcolm looked like he didn't want to believe him. "Really?"

"She's kind of like…my best friend," Percy admitted. "She helps me study, too."

"Hmm." Malcolm had his poke face back on. "Well… okay. Just… just don't get her pregnant yet."

Percy wanted to sputter out the rest of his lunch after that.

* * *

He was exhausted.

Percy's afternoon was spent at gym with the rest of his future teammates. They were all fourth years and have been training with swords for years now, but they all heard that Percy was apparently one of the bests they'd ever seen. They didn't go easy on him. There were about five new "teachers" in total.

Malcolm praised him for doing a good job, but he just wanted to go back to his dorm and hit the showers before eating dinner with the rest of the gang.

"Hey," Percy said as he entered their room. Jason was on his bed, lying with his face down. Leo was nowhere to be found. "Something weird happened today."

Jason groaned from his bed.

"Dude." Percy sat on Leo's bed next to Jason's to face him. "What are you doing?"

The blonde mumbled something incoherently. Percy rolled his eyes before standing up and grabbing a fistful of Jason's uniform. He pulled the grumbling prince out of his prone position.

"Let me be," Jason whined.

Percy wanted to snicker. "Okay, eye candy. What's wrong?"

"I am conflicted with feelings."

"Yeesh." Percy pretended to gag. "Where is this coming from?"

Jason finally sat up and patted the space next to him so Percy could sit right next to him. The other boy rolled his eyes but did what was asked.

"You have to promise not to tell Leo."

"Um, okay?" Percy nodded. "But why?"

Jason glared at him like the answer was the most obvious thing in Olympus. "Because he'll make fun of me." If Jason wasn't so uptight (except only partly now, because he was becoming "normal" slowly), Percy was sure he would've said _duh!_

"He won't make fun of you if this is something serious," Percy pointed out.

"This _is_ serious, but this is different."

"Are you okay, man? You look… pale."

"Percy," Jason sighed. "I like Piper."

Percy nodded like he was expecting the other boy to say something else. "We know. And then?"

"What do you mean, 'and then?'" Jason looked incredulous. "That was it. I like Piper."

"Dude," Percy snorted. "I'm not laughing at you. It's just that…" He suddenly burst out laughing. "You don't have to be so nervous. Or secretive. Leo and I know."

"You do?"

"Uh, _duh_ ," he finally said it. "Since day one, when you first met her. Jeesh, man. You're the most obvious person we know."

"No," Jason argued. " _You're_ the most obvious person we know."

Percy didn't say anything. He remembered his embarrassing conversation with Malcolm earlier.

Jason continued. "It's just… _wow._ You know how strict my dad is, and the only girl I've come to know of is my sister, really. And Piper. She's… she's beautiful. And smart. And she loves to talk about her planet a lot and the passion's endearing—"

"You're gushing."

"I like her," Jason said again. "But I don't know what to… _do_. And there are times, you know? When I think she likes me back. And she gives me these tiny smiles when I blurt out she's pretty, and she told me once that she likes my company. What does that mean? Am I worrying too much?"

"Hey," Percy muttered. "I don't know much about women either, but Piper's cool. Guys… I don't know? Make the first move? Okay, this is weird. I don't know anything about relationships."

"You're pretty good with Annabeth."

"Annabeth's my best friend," Percy found himself repeating.

"But you like each other and that's obvious," Jason pointed out. "Teach me the ways, master."

Percy sighed and got up, heading straight for their bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower while you calm yourself down. Dinner's in a few minutes and you would not want Piper or Leo seeing you being so emotional."

Jason nodded, frowning. "Yeah, yeah. Okay."

"Hey, I feel you, bro," Percy assured him. "Women are complicated. So is love."

Jason actually smiled. "Yeah, you would know."

Percy threw his sweaty polo at him.

 **End of Chapter Six**

* * *

 **A/N: Like I said, this is one of two interlude chapters before the real thing. Here we have the teams for the Olympics, Percy being well-known, Malcolm being a protective older brother, and Jason being a sap. Weee. Thank you for reading!**

 **-YJ**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Kind of a short chapter, but this is all in preparation for the next one! I advise you all to take note of the details here! :)**

 **Thank you all for reading the previous chapters! Enjoy this one!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own PJO, HoO, and all other familiar references in this story. All rights belong to their respective owners.

* * *

 **Of Crowns and Cookies**

 **Chapter Seven**

"…and without further ado," Mrs. Dodds the headmistress said as she concluded her speech (and as all the other students perked up at this). "Let the lighting of the torches begin! Welcome to the seventy-fourth OAR Olympics!"

Percy cheered right alongside his teammates. All around him royals donning red, blue and green jerseys were letting loose and were whooping for their respective team captains, who were each holding up a lit torch and were illuminating something golden on the platform set up on the field. It was a funny yet an awesome sight to Percy, seeing all those prim and proper scream at the top of their lungs. After all, this was practically the only event wherein they were allowed to drop their duties and be normal competitive teenagers for once.

Up on the stage were the three team captains – Malcolm for red, Connor for green, and some prince named Lee Fletcher for the blue. Piper and Travis Stoll, Luke's cousin and Connor's younger brother, were right beside Percy. The three of them were wearing the red jersey representing their team. He couldn't see Jason who was probably drowned out somewhere in the mass of green jerseys, and at the corner of his eye he could see Leo and Annabeth in their own blue shirts and blue flags.

He could feel himself smiling. Because, yeah, his best friend was adorable and she looked absolutely great in blue. It didn't help that it was his favorite color, and it didn't help that this was one of the rare times she saw her outside her school uniform. Her hair was tied up together with a blue ribbon, and on her cheeks were paint-drawn warrior lines of the same color.

"You're staring at her again," Piper told him.

Percy shifted his gaze to see her smirking. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She snorted. If Annabeth were here, she would've hit Piper at the back of her head for such a childish and rude sound. "Oh, please. Like you guys aren't blatantly sickening all the time."

"And you and Jason aren't?"

It was Piper's turn to flush. "Yeah, right. Like I have a chance with him."

Percy's lips pursed. He tried not to grin. "What makes you think that?"

"You're roommate's perfect, Percy," she pointed out, glaring at him like it was his fault that Jason was being oblivious. "I mean, you're pretty handsome, too. But you're not my type, no offense. And Jason's just… gah. No words. But, I don't know. He doesn't look like he likes me."

Percy shook his head. "He's just dense. This is his first exposure to females in forever."

"Or maybe he just doesn't like me back."

 _Oh, if only you knew, dear Princess of Edaros_. "You're jumping too conclusions way too early, my friend."

But she shook her head and smiled sadly. "It's okay. He's too good for me, anyway. I'm glad we're friends."

"Funny," he said. "I don't think I've ever met a princess who was self-degrading before."

She shrugged. "Some of us don't like thinking the world revolves around our pretty little heads. Have faith, Percy. Not all princesses are self-absorbed. The love of your life, for example."

He ignored her last comment. "Don't worry about Jason," he said instead. "Romance stories don't just happen in a jiffy. You want me to talk to him for you?"

She hit him in the shoulder and laughed. "In case you haven't caught on, this is supposed to be a secret. Don't be a wingman for me; what would my overpopulated planet think?" She snickered. "Okay, Percy?"

Oh. Well.

"Sure, Piper. Just… don't make yourself sad, okay? A little confidence is okay sometimes."

Piper smiled. "As Annabeth's best friend—"

"I'm her best friend."

"Whatever. As Annabeth's _other_ best friend, I officially approve of you." She sneaked a glance at the blonde in question before turning back to the Prince of Aspyros. "Seriously, though. If anyone's obvious about feelings, it's you. Why don't you just ask her out?"

 _I'm not here to find my prince charming_ , Annabeth's words from a week ago taunted him in his head.

He just shrugged. "We've got other stuff to worry about in the meantime."

But he was a hypocrite, telling Piper not to discourage herself.

Because he was feeling a little self-degrading, too. He didn't feel like he was good enough for the Princess of Mylita.

He sneaked one last glance where the blue team was and towards his beautiful best friend. He could see her talking to Leo and another person who just approached her. Luke.

He sighed to himself. Yeah, there were better guys out there for her.

"You guys!" Travis Stoll put one hand on Piper and Percy's shoulders. "Malcolm's holding up the flag we made!"

Percy turned to look at his team captain on the stage. He suddenly remembered having a saber competition that afternoon. He was against Michael Yew of the Green team first, thankfully, before he went up against Luke.

He would forget his boyish troubles for now.

* * *

"Aah," Leo sighed happily, stretching his legs on the grass. The six of them were out on the field. Surrounding them were other students also lying down on the turf. All around the track were several food stalls and banners, flags, and streamers decorated with the three team colors.

"No school work!" Piper said, joining Leo in what appears to already be a happy, relaxed state. "This is the life!"

"Careful," Percy said, turning to Annabeth beside him. "You're hurting Annabeth's feelings."

"Don't ruin this for us, Annabeth," Leo warned. "I'm talking to you too, Jason."

Jason frowned. "I didn't say anything."

"I'm just pointing out that we're wasting a whole week of school," Annabeth huffed, pouting.

"Hush, Princess," Percy teased her further. "You're having a homework withdrawal. It's okay."

"You're such a Seaweed Brain."

"Seaweed Brain," Piper mused. "Not the kind of romantic pet name I would expect from the two of you, but that'll do."

"Not everyone can be Wise Girls like you, Annabeth," Percy pointed out.

Jason's frown deepened. "I don't think Wise Girl is a very insulting comeback."

Percy shrugged. "It'll work."

"Percy can't stand insulting Annabeth," Leo snorted.

Percy caught Piper's glance. She wore a knowing smile and was stifling her laughter. In retaliation he motioned towards Jason while keeping his eyes on her. She immediately frowned and stuck her tongue out at him. No one else seemed to notice.

"Hey," Annabeth suddenly said. "Percy, will you come with me for a second?"

They both stood up from the grass and walked towards the stalls. (Leo was catcalling behind them, but whatever). They ended up somewhere with pizza, which Percy was a little too enthusiastic about.

"I wanted to tell you before I tell everybody else," Annabeth said excitedly once they were out of earshot. "I mean, you probably wouldn't care, and you'd tease me about being a nerd again—"

"Weird," Percy cut her off. "I don't think I've ever seen you excited about something. Did you get another A?"

She shook her head. "Remember the broadcasting applications I was telling you about? The one for the school's holo-cast?"

"The one Luke was training," he remembered. He tried not to frown.

Suddenly her expression turned glum. "Oh. Luke. Right. Never mind."

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Well…" She took a deep breath. "I got in. I mean, I'm going to be part of the holo-cast now, which means I'll be part of the team delivering the school news."

"Annabeth!" His mood shifted at the news. He grinned at her. "That's great! Why are you—"

She looked like she was zoning out, which she tended to do if she was lost in thought. Her frown deepened. "Luke probably got me in. That's it. That's probably the only reason why I got accepted—"

"Hey," he sounded as if he was reprimanding her. "No. Luke probably wasn't the only one deciding the results. You got in because you're amazing at everything you do. Come on, where's the confident princess I know? We should be celebrating!"

Finally her lips quirked into a small smile. "You just really want a pizza badly."

"That, too."

"Come on, Seaweed Brain," she laughed. "Let's go feed that insatiable stomach."

"Really, though, Wise Girl," he said. "Congratulations on getting the role. Does this mean we're going to be seeing your face every breakfast?"

"You already see my face every breakfast."

"No, like, on the school TVs," he mused. "Are you trying to attract more admirers? Is that why you joined in the first place?"

"Your Highness." She hit him on the shoulder. "It wounds me that you think that's my purpose for joining. Why, I simply wanted you to notice me more!"

He snorted. "It's weird hearing you talk like that again."

"I'm pretty sure I'll be talking like a snobby princess again once face to face with mother." She grinned. "You people are bad influences on me."

He shrugged. "We just made you normal. Are you complaining?"

"No, and speaking of bad influences…" she chuckled. "Piper told me that you offered to talk to Jason for her."

"Uh… I was being a friend? Or a wingman? Wow, if she had any idea how Jason feels about her…"

"Percy, you will _not_ be playing matchmaker."

He pouted. "But—"

She knew how to distract him. "Pizza?"

"Yes, please."

* * *

When they got back to the field, two other people joined their group on the grass.

Luke and Connor had a lot of similar features that they looked more convincing as brothers rather than cousins. They both wore dark khaki shorts and were each wearing their team's jerseys. Luke's blond hair was streaked with blue. Half of Connor's pale face was painted green. They both wore boyish greens as they talked to the rest of the group. On their hands were identical bottles of what looked like purple juice.

"Hey!" Connor greeted as Percy and Annabeth approached. "If it isn't Olympus Academy's power couple!"

Percy glanced at Luke for a second before shaking his head at Connor. "Hi, Connor. Luke."

"Annabeth," Luke said. "Congratulations. I heard you passed the broadcasting applications."

"Thank you, Luke," Annabeth replied before giving Percy a look. No one else seemed to notice.

"How are you guys enjoying your first Olympics?" Connor asked.

"No classes for a week!" Leo cheered. "This is the life!"

"I wouldn't get too excited, if I were you," Luke warned. "The teachers become total bitches after the Olympics. They're making the students enjoy now, but they're soon going to be giving out dozens of homework for the one week abeyance."

"I told you one week was too much!" Annabeth said.

Luke grinned at her, probably happy that she was agreeing with him.

"That's sadly true." Connor frowned before quickly smiling his signature mischievous smile. "But that's not going to stop us from having fun, right? Eh, Jason? Our team is going to win this year!"

"Not so fast, Connor," Leo argued. "You forget Luke's on our team! He's going to be kicking butt during the saber sparring!"

"My, my, Leo," Piper chastised. "Have you got no faith for your friend Percy over here? If there's anyone's who's going to be kicking butt, it's him!"

Percy doubted it, but _meh_. It was hard arguing with competitive people. Luke was just smirking beside his cousin, enjoying the banter of the freshmen.

"Surely," Piper continued. "Percy's not going to embarrass himself in front of Annabeth. He's got motivation!"

"Gee, thanks for dragging me into this," Annabeth muttered.

"Piper's right," Jason said, shooting Percy a teasing glance. "Connor, I don't think we have anything up against a guy in love."

" _Guys_ ," Percy said nervously. He sent a quick deer-caught-in-the-headlights look to Luke before shaking his head.

"Interesting," Luke muttered before taking a sip out of his drink. He stood up finally, motioning for his older cousin to do the same. "Well, Connor and I better get going."

Connor quirked an eyebrow. His lips were stained purple from what he was drinking. "To where, exactly?"

Luke stared at him. "You know where, cousin. I suggest you finish that drink now."

"Uh… okay?" Connor downed his drink before standing up himself. "Well, it was a pleasure talking to you again, freshmen."

"Good luck, Percy," Luke told the Aspyros prince. He winked at him. "May the better swordsman win."

Percy blinked.

 _Weird_ ; Luke knew Percy didn't stand a chance with him. He shrugged, anyway. "We already know who that is, Luke."

The Pherena natives waved one final time, before Luke dragged Connor far away from the group.

"I need to get my loyalties straight," Leo told them, jokingly glancing at Percy.

Percy pouted. "As your best friend, I am hurting on the inside."

Annabeth frowned. "I thought _I_ was your best friend."

Jason snorted. (It was becoming a thing now; he and Annabeth becoming "normal", anyway.)

"Sickening," Piper snickered right along with him. "Really, really sickening."

 **End of Chapter Seven**

* * *

 **A/N: Alright, you guys. The next chapter's where all the fun's going to start. And by "fun", I'm not exactly using dictionary definition. Ehehe. Thank you for reading!**

 **-YJ**


	8. Chapter 8

**WEEEE this is here! Thank you to all who are still reading this despite the long wait! This chapter is dedicated to P3RSEUS and all the others who blessed some sense into me. Gods know I needed that.**

 **See you at the bottom!**

* * *

 **I do not own this PJO, HoO, Star Wars and other familiar references in this story. All rights belong to their original owners.**

* * *

 **Of Crowns and Cookies**

 **Chapter Eight**

"Okay, Percy. You are strong. You are fabulous. You are—"

"Malcolm?" Percy cut off the already panicking Prince of Mylita and dearest captain of the Red team. "I think I'll be fine."

"Right, right." Malcolm nodded, almost a little too enthusiastically. "It's just that… this competition's going to score us some major points that can make us catch up with Connor's team. And… and… and…"

"You're making me nervous."

Malcolm shook his head. "No, I'm pep-talking you. You did a pretty good job defeating Michael Yew earlier, but… but…"

"Jeesh," Percy snorted. "If this is you under pressure, I wonder what your sister's going to be like."

"Trust me; you don't want to know," he grumbled. "Focus, Percy. But if you want to use my sister as motivation, that's fine with me. Just don't have ugly thoughts in your head."

"I wasn't—"

"One goal: defeat Luke. He's the best swordsman of the school, but no pressure."

Percy frowned. "Sure. No pressure."

Suddenly someone's voice replaced the music blasting from the speakers. The spectators turned their heads to the center of the gym, where a ring was created for the saber duels. "Good afternoon, Olympus Acade- _meeeeeh!_ Time check; it's fourteen-fourteen, and we're just about to begin this next event!" he cheered. "Currently on the lead for overall champion is non-other than Pherena Captain Connor Stoll's team—the GREEEN TEAM!" There was chaos everywhere, as all people from the mentioned group whooped. "Coming in second place is Flethcher's squad, the Blue team, and Chase's Red. But things are about to get exciting now! Will there be changes to the overall ranking? We're about to find out."

"Who's ready for more saber sparring?!" the voice continued. "For the final round and for the saber competition medal, we're down between the BLUE AND THE RED TEAM!"

With that, Malcolm pushed Percy into the arena. On the opposite end, Luke Castellan walked casually towards the inside of the ring. He gave Percy a thumb's up before he situated his hands on his belt to remove his saber hilt. Percy did the same.

"Representing the Blue team is last year's champion and Olympus Academy's greatest swordsman—LUKE CASTELLAN OF PHERENA!"

There were cheers everywhere. Luke merely smiled and nodded to the crowd.

"But what's this? A challenger in the likes of a first-timer! Here's a prince proving that even freshmen have got the power! From the kingdom of Aspyros, representing the Red team – PERSEUS JACKSON!"

Percy decided to ignore the crowd around him. Instead he focused on gripping the handle of his sword. From the corner of his eye, he could see the gang – Leo and Annabeth and Jason and Piper in different colored jerseys but cheering for him in particular.

"Quick rules before we start the game," the host continued. "No maiming, and definitely no amputations. Blood's a disqualification. Remember: your armor can only do as much. Main objective here is to disarm the opponent and knock him down until he can't get up for a total of ten seconds."

"You know what? You guys already know how this goes. On your marks, challengers!"

Both Luke and Percy pressed a button on their respective sword hilts, making their swords spring to life. The gym filled with Percy's blue and Luke's green light.

"Just like old times, Perce," Luke chuckled.

"BEGIN!"

Except "old times" were sparring sessions every afternoon at the gym, and Percy _never_ won against Luke.

Would it just be like old times? Hopefully not.

Percy couldn't remember who slashed first, but suddenly there was a momentum from there. It _wasn't_ like any of their practices, because Percy noticed that Luke was a little bit more aggressive, probably because this was actually a real duel. He definitely wasn't going easy on the freshman anymore. Maybe that's why people thought Percy could take on Luke; Luke wasn't even trying during their sparring sessions.

But just like their afternoons after classes, the small talk couldn't be helped.

"Don't want to embarrass yourself in front of Annabeth, huh?" Luke was saying, his blade colliding onto Percy's.

Percy took a step back, blocking the attack with his own sword. "It was a joke."

They were almost at the edge of the ring, with the blond prince cornering the dark-haired one. Luke's talking was distracting him, even though they always did it during those afternoons at the gym. "It's okay, Perseus. Nobody wants to be embarrassed in front of the girl he likes."

Percy probably looked really bad to his teammates and to the rest of the people watching. He already knew how Luke fought, but for some reason he was staggering and stepping backwards as he fought Luke's blade with his own. The latter boy was biting his lip too hard that Percy was sure blood was going to come out any second. His blue eyes were darker than usual, and he looked nothing like the friendly upper year het met on his first day.

Luke's competitive side was probably the worst thing about his too perfect personality.

"Percy," Luke said, calling him out on nearly zoning. "Losing your focus, buddy."

What was he supposed to do? He obviously couldn't start blinding him with the light of his saber yet; he's never had the chance to practice. Plus, there was a possibility of blinding himself, too. Luke taught him a lot of things, but those things were also risky to the attacker.

For a few minutes the battle continued as it was. Luke would attack and Percy would block it with his saber. The problem was that Luke seemed as if he was getting stronger with every assault, while Percy's arms were starting to turn into noodle with every increasing force Luke exerted. The crowd around them watched aptly, even though the verdict was beginning to be obvious with every time Percy leaned back further from an attack.

He was losing badly even though it seemed like there was no end to the duel.

He needed to take Luke by surprise, but how? Malcolm and Annabeth were right about Percy knowing how Luke fights, but Luke knew Percy, too. He had taught the prince of Aspyros everything he needed to know about saber dueling.

But, no. Luke wasn't his only teacher after all. Malcolm and the rest of the guys from the team had gone out of their way to help Percy learn new things.

This time Percy decided to lead the offense.

Unlike in the past few minutes, the next time Luke's blade charged, he sidestepped out of the way instead of meeting his sword. In a split second, he kicked the prince of Pherena's side – something's he's never done before because it was pretty stupid to be kicking someone as strong as Luke.

Naturally Luke staggered, probably caught off-guard with Percy's sudden aggressiveness.

"Shit," he muttered as Percy slashed his saber, hitting the hilt of Luke's sword on his hands. The weapon came flying out and because they were dangerously close to the corner of the ring, it landed somewhere outside the battle arena.

Suddenly the crowd was silent. A few gasps were heard.

Percy didn't waste any time. He kicked the weaponless and confused prince on the chest with enough force to push him back down.

The tip of his blue blade was pointing dangerously close to valley between Luke's eyes. Standing up would be dangerous and would definitely result into an ugly, permanent burning hole on his handsome face.

"…five… six… seven…," the announcer was counting.

Luke stared right into him. His eyes were in between expressions of wonder and confusion. Beads of sweat trickled down his face. He was breathing heavily.

"…eight…nine…"

Percy extinguished his blade.

"…TEN! From the kingdom of Aspyros, this year's new saber competition champion – PERSEUS JACKSON!"

* * *

Malcolm launched into him the soon Percy stepped outside the arena.

"PERCY!" he cheered. "Goodness, that was amazing! You just earned enough points for us to be in second place! Now we're only a few points away from Connor's team!"

Other members of the team approached him, too. They were all clapping Percy on the back and were giving him high-fives. Even those from the other colors were saying they were honestly amazed at his skills. Lee Fletcher himself – Luke's captain – said he's never seen anyone get up that close to his opponent.

(Percy might've been blushing the entire time. Especially when he looked towards where his friends were and saw that they were still cheering for him.)

"Hey," someone suddenly said behind him. Percy turned around to see Luke. "Percy."

"Luke!" He smiled nervously, because he didn't know how to act. "Good game back there."

"Yeah, I didn't know you had that in you," Luke admitted. "But you were great. It took me a long time to realize I was on the ground. It's been a long time since that happened."

"I owe it all to you, Luke," Percy said. "You taught me a lot."

Luke suddenly glanced behind Percy and frowned. "A lot, but not everything." He looked back down at the prince of Aspyros. He grinned. "You honestly took me by surprise."

"Well, uh, I've been training with my team, too."

"Hmm," Luke mused. "The Olympics is always full of surprises. Hey, you better go see your friends now. Annabeth looks eager to talk to you."

"Luke—"

"I'll see you later, Percy." The older boy nodded before walking away.

When Percy finally joined his group of friends, it was Leo who first pushed away from the crowd to tackle the champion into a hug. Jason, Piper and Annabeth dutifully followed him.

"Dude!" Leo cried after stepping back from the bear hug. "All that ugly saber obsession paid off after all! Are you sure you aren't from my planet? Because bro! You were on fire!"

"Should I be hurt you still call it an ugly obsession?"

Jason and Piper also teased him about his constant hours at the gym, but eventually they both gave him short hugs, with Piper yelling, "We are going to win!" in his ear. If he were being honest, the high of winning was nothing compared to making his friends proud of him. When Percy finally faced Annabeth, she had her lips pursed like she was trying not to laugh. She held out her hand for him to shake.

"Congratulations," she said, hand still up for him to take.

Before his bravery could deny him, he asked, "So… you won't hug me like the rest of them did?"

She snorted, which was probably a first for her. "One championship and you're already full of yourself."

"I thought we already established that I really am full of myself?"

She laughed before he took her hand, anyway, and shook it. In a split second, however, he pulled her into a hug. She was frozen for a second before she wrapped her arms around him. All too quickly she playfully pushed him away.

Percy grinned. "My team's ahead of yours now."

She punched him on the shoulder, pretending to look annoyed. "Don't push it, Jackson."

* * *

Connor Stoll was hauled up the stage by the rest of his teammates. All round the students, streamers and banners and flags in green were being raised. Green and white confetti fell from somewhere above and surrounded the cheering students. Up on the platform in the middle of the field, Connor was receiving a golden trophy. He proudly held it up for the rest of the student body to see.

Somebody handed him a microphone, and he cradled the trophy in the crook of his arm.

"What's up, Olympus?!" he cried. He was answered by a screaming student body. "Okay, okay. Uh… wow. Winter break's in a few weeks and I'm telling you… what an awesome way to end the semester, am I right?!"

"Obviously," he continued. "I'd like to thank my amazing team – the Green team! Woo! – and for the cooperative individuals comprising it. The others teams, Red and Blue, congratulations, as well! I'd like to give a shout out to Lee Fletcher and Malcolm Chase… you guys were amazing people to work with, too. And…"

His expression changed. Suddenly his face churned into confusion.

And then pain.

"…and…" he choked out.

Connor coughed, then suddenly his eyes widened.

And then he dropped unconscious on the floor.

The microphone screeched as it fell to the ground.

The trophy cracked from the impact.

* * *

The Olympics closing ceremony was immediately cut short. Connor's unconscious body was carried off by some medics to the school's infirmary. All the students were ushered back to their respective dorms.

All too soon Travis Stoll and Luke Castellan were called to the headmistress' office.

When they came back an hour later, their faces were tear-streaked. Travis collapsed on the couch of the boys' dorm lobby. He covered his face with his hands as he sobbed. Luke sat beside him; he wasn't crying, but his eyes were obviously red and his expression was distraught. He put an arm around Travis and tried to comfort his cousin.

"My cousin and I are going home immediately," Luke informed all those watching them.

"Prince Connor Stoll of Pherena is dead."

* * *

For the first time since the start of the school year, Percy and the boys' room was quiet.

The three roommates were all on the ground at the foot of Jason's bed.

"What do you think happened?" Leo asked softly. Percy's never heard him that quiet before.

"Weird," Percy muttered. "His expression just… what was that?"

"He was fine earlier," Jason said. "Before the ceremony, I swear. He was happy and he was sure we were going to win but…"

Leo shook his head. "Unbelievable. We just talked to him this week."

Percy looked at Jason. "Hey, man. How're you holding up?"

"I'm in shock, honestly." Jason frowned. "He was a good man. "

"Jason, you're shaking."

"I'll be fine."

Leo sighed. "So much for having zero death records in this school."

"No one knows what happened," Percy said. "I mean, the school's probably going nuts trying to figure out whatever the hell that was that happened to Connor—" He was cut off by vibrations coming from his bed.

"Your holopad's ringing, Percy," Leo informed. He stood up and walked towards the vibrating object. He handed the object carefully to Percy; (Leo, Percy noticed a long time ago, had a careful way of handling objects, as reckless as he was).

"Missed call from Annabeth," Percy read aloud. His holopad beeped again, signaling a message. "She's telling me to go to Tower One behind the girls' dorm."

"Uh." Leo blinked. "Are you sure that's Annabeth? It's way past curfew, man."

It was Percy's turn to be shocked. "And are _you_ sure _you're_ Leo? Since when did you care about curfew?"

The Ceprione prince shrugged. "I don't know, Percy. What happened today was really scary."

"Hey, if it's Annabeth who's telling you to go," Jason said. "You should go do it. Must be pretty big if she's willing to get you both in trouble."

Leo and Percy stared at him, before the latter stood up and reached for the jacked on his bed. He was still wearing his red team jersey from earlier, but he could care less of what he looked like. If Jason – the epitome of prim and proper – was telling him to sneak out, then he probably should.

It was becoming an even weirder night.

* * *

"I was beginning to think you were going to ditch me."

Annabeth had her lips curled into a small smile, but Percy could tell something was wrong. She was dangerously sitting on one of the window ledges of the tower, her feet dangling outside.

"It's way past curfew, princess," he told her but sat right next to her anyway. He swung his feet and playfully hit hers just to lighten the mood. The sadness of the day was already too much for him.

"I needed to see you," she admitted. "I mean, I could've just called Malcolm, but I'm guessing he needs his alone time. He worked with Connor Stoll very closely in the past few days."

Percy swallowed hard. "Yeah. Jason's pretty distraught, too. I can't even imagine what Luke and Travis are feeling right now."

"Any word on what's going on?"

"None."

She sighed. "Sorry I bothered you this late. It's just that…" She shook her head before chuckling darkly. "I think too much. What if that was Malcolm? Or you? Or Jason or Leo or Piper? Gods, Percy. We're royalty and we're supposed to be in the safest place in Olympus, but…"

"No, I understand." He frowned. "We're never going to be normal, aren't we?"

"We've long ago accepted that, I'm sure. Today just…" She sighed again. "Reality hit all of us hard, huh? Our lives are constantly in danger."

"In danger. Like right now. Because it's after curfew. And I have no idea why you think this is a good idea."

She smiled slightly. "You're such a Seaweed Brain. Shouldn't you be proud of me? I mean, I just convinced you to break the rules!"

He grinned widely, glad that he was able to make her smile. He needed his snarky Annabeth back. "Proud of you. Sure."

"You did great today, too," she said. "You're a natural at saber sparring, Percy. Really."

 _Now's not a good time to be blushing, you idiot._ "Uh…" he stammered. "Thanks, princess."

"And now's your time to prove to me you're my best friend," she laughed. "Come on, Seaweed Brain. Cheer me up."

"Jeesh. It's nearly midnight and you're still really demanding."

"It's a 24-hour job. So is being best friends." She smirked. "Go on, my prince. Entertain me. Make me happy."

"Blue cookies," he blurted out suddenly before shaking his head. "Sorry. I just remembered home all of a sudden."

She cocked her head to the side, smiling thoughtfully with a playful glint in her eyes. "Blue cookies?"

Percy nodded. "Yeah. My mom used to bake me blue cookies every time I was sad. I mean, it wasn't much. But she was a queen. She barely had time for the kitchen, but she'd go out of her way to make me happy."

"They worked? The cookies?"

" _Blue_ cookies."

She laughed. "That's really sweet of your mother. You're such a momma's boy. Winter break's in two weeks and you're bound to see her soon."

"I'd kill to have blue cookies right now."

"Your love for blue food extends to cookies. Why am I not surprised?" She playfully nudged him. "But… I'd kill to have blue cookies right now, too."

"I'd sneak you into the school kitchen, but I'm afraid I suck at baking, princess."

"I suck at that, too. Oh, well." She shrugged jokingly. "We can't have everything."

"Nah," Percy snorted. "You're still pretty close to perfect."

What he said dawned on him too late, but thankfully Annabeth was already beginning to go back to her good mood to notice.

"Hey, Percy?"

"Hmm?"

"You hugged me earlier, after your game," she said. "Do you… do you think you could do that again?"

Was it possible to choke on your own breath?

He didn't how red he looked. "Huh?"

She shrugged. "I need to cheer myself up."

Then, with their bodies still side by side on the ledge, Annabeth held out her arms and wrapped them around him, her face burying itself on the crook of his neck.

She didn't even wait for him. It was her turn to catch him off guard.

But he hugged her back, anyway, right after he got over his shock.

"We're…" he tried to say. "We're going to fall."

She pulled away but she was laughing as she did so. "Thank you, my dear prince, for ruining the moment. We should probably go, huh?"

He carefully stood up first. He offered his hand to help her up. "I'll walk you back," he said.

"Thank you for tonight, Percy."

"Thank you for sneaking out for you, you mean."

Annabeth grinned. "Well, yes, specifically."

He decided to hug her one last time before his bravery decided to abandon him. "We're going to be okay."

It felt like they didn't both want to pull away.

"If you say so, Percy."

 **End of Chapter Eight**

* * *

Again, I apologize for the long wait huhu. But thanks to all those who are still reading! I hope you enjoyed this one. I _did_ promise you some drama. Well, here you go! The next few chapters will be all about the fun now! Yay!

Also, anyone here who's interested in welcoming me back to tumblr? Hahaha. Send me your urls, friends! I'll answer questions there, too, especially about this story! Look me up if you feel like it: **itsscaryyoke**. :) (Yes, that's shameless plugging. I need friends.)

Thanks again! Until the next chapter!

-YJ


	9. Chapter 9

**Is it safe to come out now? *dodges a pitchfork and a** _ **We Love Connor**_ **shirt* Oh, okay.**

 **But, anyway, here is chapter nine! Hoorah!**

* * *

 **I do not own PJO, HoO, or Star Wars. All familiar references belong to their respective owners.**

* * *

 **Of Crowns and Cookies**

 **Chapter Nine**

Aspyros was beginning to look a little weird to him.

Granted, four months in Pixebes wasn't _that_ long, but brown is brown and blue is blue. And Aspyros was really, _really_ blue.

Okay, so the planet was blue and white at this time of the year, but Pixebes didn't even have snow. Heck, Percy was itching to grab his coat from his luggage, but Hedge threw it somewhere at the back of the ship. He'd gotten so used to Pixebes' year-round summer that the plain button down and slacks he was wearing weren't doing him any good for the dropping temperature. He wanted his school jersey so bad he wanted to pout.

"Six minutes until we jump out of hyperspace, Your Highness," Hedge told him as he exited the control room of the ship. "And five until we enter Aspyros atmosphere. It's over thirteen degrees outside and all four oceans are frozen over. Also, it's really… snowy."

Percy grinned, momentarily forgetting his complaints about the cold. "I can tell." He missed his bodyguard. "Are mother and father home?"

Hedge nodded. "Mmhm. King Poseidon's in session with Lord Midas of Tartarus; what it is about, I don't know," he grunted. "Your mother would've loved to get you herself, but I believe the King's adamant in making her stay in her quarters."

"What?" The poor prince looked confused. "Why would father make her do that?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

Percy frowned and settled back in his seat. "But she's okay, right?"

As far as he could tell, something was definitely new and definitely wrong. He didn't know what was safe anymore, especially with the recent events that happened back at the academy. Outside the room he was in, dozens of bodyguards were situated all around the ship. Why, three were situated outside the door. Percy had been around guards all his life, but there were more than he could count today. It made him feel uncomfortable, especially since he'd spent the last four months being a little independent at school. It didn't help that Hedge was the only one he wanted to talk to.

"Let's just say the palace is going to be busy, even without you causing havoc all the time."

"Why, Hedge!" He couldn't help it; he guffawed like how Leo would laugh maniacally. "I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'm thoroughly offended!"

"We didn't miss you around the palace, Your Highness."

"That's a lie."

"Did you just stick your tongue out? Does the Queen know you do that now?"

"You missed me."

"I was at peace for four months."

"You've got no excuse to talk to the handmaidens without me around!"

"Ah, but I'm getting married, Your Highness."

Percy jaw dropped. " _What?_ Hedge! Really? Who's the unlucky girl?"

The older man's signature grumpy look resurfaced. "I'll have you know that Mellie is the luckiest woman alive."

"The palace cook, I see," the prince snickered. "I should've guessed. You did gain weight since the last time I saw you."

"And this is why I didn't miss you."

Percy smiled, a little sincerely this time. "But, really, Hedge. Congratulations."

The ship suddenly shook. There was pain in Percy's ears as the ship descended.

Hedge bowed slightly. "Welcome home, Prince Perseus."

* * *

The courtroom of the Aspyros palace was behind two tall brown doors situated at the end of a long hall.

Percy immediately headed there as soon as he disembarked the ship. He dismissed Hedge and allowed him to see his fiancé, but there were two other guards, anyway, who followed Percy as he guided himself through his home.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Gentlemen," he said, turning around and facing the two guards clad in royal blue. The Aspyros emblem was pinned onto their left breasts. Behind Percy was already the door to the courtroom where his father was conversing with Lord Midas of Tartarus. "Hi. I appreciate the security and all, but I'm going to have to dismiss you guys. If that's okay."

It was weird. He felt completely safe in his planet and in the palace. He didn't need any bodyguards. Heck, even Hedge used to just accompany him when he went outside.

"King's orders, Your Highness."

"Guard the prince, twenty-four seven."

"Yikes," Percy muttered. "Uh. Well, I'm about to see him now. I'll make sure he won't get mad at you for, you know, leaving me alone."

"King's orders, Your Highness," the guard repeated.

Percy frowned, but their conversation was cut short by the doors behind them bursting open. More guards but in blood red and royal blue exited first, followed by two arguing men. One was old and dressed in black robes. He had long gray hair and with a matching beard. Percy didn't recognize who he was. _Lord Midas, probably._

The other gentleman, of course, was King Poseidon.

The King radiated power even from far away.

"If you change your mind, Your Highness—" Midas was saying, but Poseidon waved a hand in a preventive gesture.

"Lord Midas, if you may, we're already out of the courtroom."

"And I was merely suggesting—"

The King nodded. "No, it's all right. My decision is final."

Silence.

Poseidon's eyes scanned the room, and then he finally noticed Percy and his guards standing at the far end of the hall.

"Oh," he said in recognition. "I believe my son is home from the academy. Percy, my boy, come here." Percy did what his father asked. He stood right next to the king and stared at their visitor with what he taught was a poker face. "Lord Midas, I would like you to meet my son and crown prince of Aspyros, Perseus Jackson."

Percy bowed slightly like he was taught to do. "Good day, Lord Midas."

"Don't look at me like that, my boy," Midas told him. "Oh, I know that look. You're judging Tartarus, Your Highness? We're more than just the planet with the prison, oh yes. Big plans are in store for our planet! Oh big plans!"

"Now, now, Midas," Poseidon chastised. "I'm sure my son wasn't doing any sort of judging."

"I wasn't," Percy piped in unhelpfully.

"I believe you were off to Katias for another meeting," the King reminded the old man.

"Hmm," Midas mused. "Well, let's hope this next meeting will bring brighter results. Thank you for your time, King Poseidon. And yours, Prince Perseus."

There was a flurry of movement as Midas exited along with his red guards. Poseidon and Percy stood in the middle of two columns of their soldiers.

"What was that about?" Percy asked his father.

"He was serious about making big plans for Tartarus," Poseidon said, shaking his head. His eyes were still in the direction where Midas left, and he was scowling like the old man left a trail somewhere in the palace carpet.

"What does that have to do with Aspyros?"

"Let's just say it has something to do with armies."

"Armies?" Percy scrunched his eyebrows. "Against the prison, I hope?"

Tartarus, after all, was the planet that hosted the biggest prison in Olympus. It was bad news, all right. The worst of all the planets were headed straight there for the rest of their lives. As far as Percy knew, with the little natives Tartarus had, the planet didn't even have a king. Lord Midas was probably the one overseeing for the people. It was confusing, but Percy was pretty sure there was a back story to that. Something about some guy named Kronos.

"There are things Midas wanted to keep confidential," the King of Aspyros said. "What was revealed in the courtroom stays in the courtroom, but perhaps I'll tell you about it one day. But, come now, Percy. That's not what's important. How was the trip home?"

Poseidon motioned for his son to start walking away from the tall doors. Behind them the guards kept a distance but followed them slowly.

"Fine, I guess," Percy answered. "Had a bit of a weather shock, though."

Poseidon laughed. "Ah, we've all been there. I remember sweating up a tsunami the first few months I had in Pixebes."

"Gross, dad."

"Nonsense. Have you seen your mother yet?"

Percy shook his head. "No, uh, I wanted to see you first."

"Does this mean I'm your favorite parent now?" The King's eyes glistened mischievously. For a second there he looked less tired than he actually was.

"Don't push it, dad." Percy shuddered. "Mom will kill me."

"That, she will."

"Why is she being locked up in her room?"

"Now, 'locked up' is a harsh term." Poseidon looked offended. "I was merely telling her to rest."

"Rest? Why?"

"So much questions, my son."

"You don't know the half of them. And the new bodyguards, dad? Really?"

The King suddenly looked serious. "What happened at Olympus Academy was no joke, Perseus. I was at Connor Stoll's burial in Pherena, and King Hermes looked more than distraught. If that were to happen to you…"

Percy eyed the new guards with uncertainty, but he decided not to complain.

* * *

Family dinners were probably the most normal thing inside their palace.

That is, if you don't count the long dining table and the huge overkill chandelier that has been around for centuries.

"This Princess Annabeth seems quite the character," Sally said.

"She's my best friend," Percy admitted before eagerly taking a bite out of his food; he _missed_ the palace cooking. "She's helping me study, and she once helped me ace a report."

"Don't talk while your mouth is full, dear," his mother chastised, but her eyes were shining. She obviously missed her son. "And she's from Mylita?"

Poseidon must've choked on his dinner. "You befriended the Princess of Mylita?"

"Uh… yes?"

The King beamed, reaching out to pat his son on the shoulder. "Perseus, my son. If you can befriend someone from a planet that we were once upon a time in bad terms with, then I have no doubts about you being an excellent king now."

Percy snorted quietly, but Sally still caught on. She shook her head slightly. "I've had no doubts since the beginning."

"Oh, gods, the pressure," Percy joked before sighing. "Can we not talk about that now? I want to enjoy my blue pie, thank you."

"It's been a while since we had weird blue food on our table," the king commented.

"Don't hurt my feelings, dad."

"I was craving for blue food yesterday," Sally said. "But I decided to wait for Percy."

"Oh," Poseidon laughed. "We haven't told him yet, have we?"

"I was waiting for your signal."

"I don't think he's noticed yet."

"Well, I haven't actually been flaunting it, dear."

"Um." Percy decided to let himself known. "What's going on?"

"Perseus," Poseidon said seriously, all previous hints of joking gone. Plus, he called Percy by his full name. He wasn't sure if he liked the sound of that. "What are your thoughts on becoming an older brother?"

"Huh?"

"I'm pregnant, Percy," his mother said, smiling slightly.

"Wha—" he started. "Really- _how_ -what?"

Poseidon's eyebrows furrowed. " _How_? Do they not teach you sexual education in the academy anymore?"

"That's… that's not what I meant," Percy stuttered, now blocking ugly mental images of his parents. He shuddered inwardly. "I'm just surprised, that's all. I mean— _wow._ Really?"

"Four months, dear," Sally said. "You're a big brother by the time you're home next summer."

"And after fifteen years of being alone…"

"Alone is an exaggeration." Did the King just roll his eyes?

"…I am now blessed with a tiny being for a brother or a sister. Wait, do you know what it's going to be?"

"No, we don't want to find out yet. You're okay with this?" There were hints of a smile in his mother's eyes.

Percy nodded, grinning. "Can I name him?"

"Son," Poseidon grunted. "We love you, but we absolutely cannot trust you with that responsibility."

"I think Little Perseus is an okay name."

Poseidon groaned, and Sally laughed. Percy grinned in spite of himself.

* * *

"Little brothers can be quite a handful," Annabeth was saying through the holopad. Behind her, Percy could see the outlines of a gray bedroom. He could've sworn he saw a huge emblem of Mylita over her bed. "I mean, Matthew and Bobby are okay when there are guests around, but they're an absolute nightmare especially when they want to play in _my_ room."

"I think a little brother would be cool," Percy mused, grinning. "We could have hoverboard races together, and _oh my gods_ I'm going to teach him to be badass with a lightsaber!"

"I already fear for the life of your little sibling. And if it's a girl?"

"Are dresses mandatory for tea parties? Do I have to get one made now? Along with a tiara?"

Annabeth laughed. Percy didn't understand why she was made to wear a dress in her own palace with no particular event, but she explained that her mother preferred they look presentable all the time. "You're adorable, Perseus Jackson."

Thank the gods for holopads and blurry receptions. He hoped she couldn't see the blush forming.

"How are you?" he asked instead. "And Malcolm?"

"Malcolm's being a big brother himself," she said. "He's taking the twins outside for ice skating."

"Why aren't _you_ outside with them?"

Annabeth scrunched her nose and made a sound that made Percy laugh. "Ugh, snow."

"Remind me to let you visit Aspyros," he snickered. "We've got four huge skating rinks in the form of frozen oceans."

But Annabeth was wittier than he was. "Isn't it a little early to be introducing me to the parents, Percy?"

She laughed out loud at his speechlessness.

"I'm fine, by the way," she continued, eyes gleaming happily. "Mother seems to have a bit of a problem with my sudden spontaneity, but she'll live. I think she almost had a heart attack when I told Malcolm to shut up earlier."

He finally recovered from his initial shock. He laughed along with her. "Proud of you, Princess, but I hope your mother won't start blaming me for the bad influence."

"Too late. Malcolm's already mentioned a Percy Jackson that follows me around the campus."

" _Follows you around?_ " Did he feel the blood draining from his face? "He said _that_?"

"If I recall correctly, _you're_ the one who decided on becoming best friends."

"Best friends is a mutual term," he argued. "Both parties have to agree!"

"I also mentioned the night we snuck out after curfew."

"But that was your idea!"

"Ha, you're right. I was kidding."

"I'm dying right here."

"Oh, but my father wants to meet you now."

" _Dying_."

Annabeth giggled. "I'm only kidding, of course. Malcolm mentioned you as the new lightsaber champion of the Olympics this year. Father's a saber enthusiast, but I think he was more interested on the fact that you're from Aspyros."

"And how did your mother react? To you befriending an Aspyros scoundrel?"

She snorted. "She could barely get a word in. Malcolm's still giddy about your win _and_ it's been weeks since the Olympics. Honestly, I'm starting to think he has a crush on you."

"Malcolm is pretty cute."

"Hush, Perseus," she chastised. "I've got dibs on you."

Was it just him, or was Annabeth being more than friendly tonight?

He probably gulped before answering. "I miss you, Princess."

"It's only been a day, Your Highness," she laughed.

"A day too long," he sighed before shrugging. "Jeesh, I have yet to unpack."

"Slacker," she teased. "Go on; start unpacking. I'll be right here."

And that's how they spent the rest of their first nights home – with their holopads on and talking like they didn't leave the academy at all.

* * *

It turned out that Hedge was wrong.

Because the palace did in fact miss him.

His winter break consisted of blue food and other people doing his laundry for him. And while the academy taught him responsibility and modesty, Percy definitely missed his life at the palace.

In the mornings he would take a walk around the gardens, fully wrapped in his academy jacket and scarf to shield himself from the harsh weather. Sometimes his father would let him sit in the courtroom and listen to old people talk, and sometimes they'd spar with their lightsabers outside in the cold. His mother absolutely hated it when he was outside, but Percy missed Aspyros and he definitely missed his hoverboard.

And then at night he'd talk to Annabeth via the holopad. They'd talk about nothing in particular, but for some reason he never got tired of listening to her. Sometimes Jason and Leo would call, too. (And, Leo, as it seemed, was spared from the winter because of his planet's weather conditions; he was going to the beach the last time Percy spoke to him.)

One night came a surprise in the form of a call from an unknown number.

Percy was hesitant to answer, but when he saw the person on the other end of the holopad, he was glad he accepted the call.

"Luke!" Percy cheered upon seeing his old friend. "Whoa, hi! How'd you get my number?"

Luke shrugged like it was no big deal. "I got it from Travis. I hope that's okay. Hello, Percy. How are you?"

"Great, actually. I mean, I missed home, that's for sure. How are…" Percy suddenly remembered the loss Luke's planet just had. "How are you? And Travis?"

"We're fine," Luke answered. Percy couldn't tell what the tone of his voice meant. "Travis has it harder than most of us, being the new crown prince and all. But we're moving on; the whole planet's doing a great job, actually. There's a statue being built for Connor as we speak."

"Connor deserves it," Percy said. "He was a great man. He would've been a great king. Do you… do you guys know what happened yet?"

Luke shook his head sadly. "My aunt refuses for an autopsy, but I think Uncle Hermes is trying to persuade her. I think we all agree that we all need to know what happened."

"I think everybody's security system doubled in the past few weeks."

"New body guards, I take it?"

Percy nodded.

"Hmm," Luke mused. "Well, better safe than sorry, I guess. You have no idea what it's like here. There are guards everywhere we go. And Travis and I literally can't go outside anymore."

"I'm sure King Hermes means well."

"He's traumatized, I like to think. Actually, there was a reason for this call, Percy. I want to say goodbye."

Percy's eyes probably shot out of his head. "Goodbye? What do you mean?"

"When I said that we literally can't go outside anymore, I meant it," Luke sighed. "I believe the King no longer wants us to go back to the academy."

Percy shook his head frantically. "You can't be serious. Travis, too?"

Luke grunted. "My uncle thinks it's for the best. He no longer thinks the academy is safe."

"But—"

"I'm pretty distraught, too." Luke frowned. "Travis barely got to finish a year."

"That's horrible."

"But you've got to admit, Uncle Hermes has a point. We have no idea what caused Connor to die."

"The academy needs you, Luke."

The older boy managed to smile lightly. "I'm sure the rest of you can manage. There are other people on the broadcasting team, and they already have you as the swords master." He laughed. "And oh well. There goes that student council dream."

Percy frowned. Luke was his first friend at the academy, and he taught him almost everything about saber sparring. "Is there no way of changing the king's mind?"

"I think Travis is still arguing with him as of this moment." Luke sighed again. "Not a day goes by where there's no arguing in this palace. I miss Connor already."

There was a heavy feeling weighing Percy down. "Luke, I want to help. If there's any way…"

"I don't think there's much we can do, Percy." Luke waved a hand in front of him. "But thank you. I'm really glad I was able to get to know you this year. Honestly, I needed a good opponent for sparring."

"Luke—"

"Well, I gotta go," Luke said, nodding. "I'll talk to you some other time. Say hello to the rest of the guys for me, okay? Thanks, Percy!"

The screen went black as Luke's image disappeared.

Connor was gone, and Luke and Travis weren't going back to the academy.

What else was about to change?

 **End of Chapter Nine**

* * *

So that's that. Ehehe. To be honest, I'm really nervous about where this story's going, because, after all, this story is for you guys and the important thing is that you enjoy. I hoped you guys liked this chapter! Despite… you know… the last one. Oops.

Till the next one!

-YJ

tumblr: **itsscaryyoke** :D


	10. Chapter 10

**SO THIS IS HEREEEE. Yay! Thank you all for supporting this story, even though I'm a loser when it comes to balancing school and this. Huhu.**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own PJO, HoO, Star Wars, and all other familiar references in this story. All rights belong to their original owners.

* * *

 **Of Crowns and Cookies**

 **Chapter Ten**

"There he goes, Your Highness," Hedge told the Queen of Aspyros loudly, head shaking in mocking disbelief and sympathy. "It's like we aren't even here. What have you done to deserve a son like him?"

Percy stopped in his tracks, and turned around quickly. His suitcase made a ruckus as he ran along with it. He headed back a few feet to where he left the ship a few seconds earlier.

"Goodbye, mom," he said, kissing his mother's cheek hastily. Then he grinned, stooping down to her stomach level. "Goodbye, little one. See you next summer. You too, Hedge."

"Yeesh," Hedge snorted. "The last time we dropped you off, you were ready to hop on the next cruiser for Aspyros."

"Things and minds change," Percy retorted, stepping back once more.

"This Annabeth princess must be really pretty if you're _this_ excited for school."

"Oh, she is." Percy stuck his tongue out in a very non-prince-y way. He faced his mother once more. "Try to keep dad from bursting in the courtroom, okay, mom?"

Sally laughed. "Such an impossible task, but I will try." She smiled warmly at Percy. "You be careful, my little prince. Say hello to your friends for me."

Percy bowed slightly, before playfully saluting. "Will do, Your Highness." He turned around finally and walked – _ran_ – in the direction of their dorms, tugging his suitcase noisily behind him. Leo and Jason already called him earlier to say that they were already in their room, and Percy couldn't wait to see them.

He couldn't remember the last time he was excited seeing people, probably because this was the first time he's had any real friends. Heck, even Piper was already someone he considered close; she too had called him over the break to ask him how he was doing.

The giddiness was slightly ridiculous, but he probably sprinted back to the dorms and waved at everyone who smiled at him. Hedge was right; the last time they dropped him off at the academy, he was more than miserable. But look at him now. There was no doubt he already loved the place, and even more so since he was eager to admit that he was ready to do his own laundry if it meant staying here.

He finally reached their room and he scrambled for his keys attached to his belt right next to his saber (which he carried around everywhere now, ever since he proclaimed profuse love for the art of sparring. Poseidon had crafted a special belt for him, one with the Aspyros symbol on it. Percy felt like a knight in shining armor).

Leo must have heard the noise outside their door, because Percy didn't even get the chance to insert his keys. The door swung open, and there was Leo greeting him with the widest grin he's had yet.

"Bro!" The prince of Ceprione cheered. "Hey, what took you so long?!"

"The snow made jumping into hyperspace a drag," Percy explained but he was grinning, happy to see his friend. Leo reached out for him in an arm hug before he grabbed Percy's suitcase, dragging it with him as they both stepped inside.

Jason was busy shuffling three heavy things to place on his bed. They were all covered in brown paper and looked really bulky. He looked up and grinned at Percy. "Well, finally! I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up for the semester!"

Leo snorted. "Yeah right, like this guy's going to miss a chance to see Annabeth."

"Is she in the academy already, too?" Jason asked.

Percy shook his head. "The last time we talked, she was just boarding her aircraft. She'll be here in about an hour, I guess."

"Oh." Jason nodded. "Piper isn't set to arrive until late this evening, she says."

"No!" Leo held his hands up. "This is our manly bonding time before the ladies get here! Enough talk about them! It's presents time!"

He bounced onto his side of the room and grabbed a backpack. He brought out three things that looked suspiciously familiar. "This is from me! Created from the mighty royal forges of Ceprione! I learned how to make them over the break!"

Leo tossed one of the things he was holding to Jason and the other to Percy.

"Is this…?" Jason started.

Percy's jaw dropped. "Bro, is this a saber hilt?!" He bounced his gift on his hands before examining it carefully. It was silver with dark engravings. Where the button should be was the Aspyros symbol, and below it was his name: _Perseus._

"Mmhm." Leo nodded excitedly. "Made customizable for the three of us. Of course, I'm not forcing you to use them. And you probably need my help if you want to transfer your saber crystal, otherwise the thing might just explode in your face. It'll be funny, but that's goodbye to saber sparring for you."

"Leonardo Valdez, you are a genius in the making," Jason said, holding up his new saber handle to take a closer look at it.

"Already am, Superman," Leo snorted.

"I probably just slacked off at the palace during the break," Percy mused, impressed. "Man, you learned how to make a lightsaber! Now my gifts pale in comparison!" He stood up and lifted his suitcase onto his bed. Not a few minutes later he produced packages neatly wrapped in blue paper. "My planet's crazy for all things navigation and stuff, but this year they decided to release these gadgets for the navy. _Technically_ we're not supposed to have this, but even my dad thought it was cool. I may have convinced him that three young princes are in dire need for stuff like this."

Leo opened his gift hastily while Jason took the time in being careful.

Leo grinned. "Holo-watches."

"Better. Turn it on."

The three boys clicked the buttons on their respective watches at the same time. Out came shining holograms, each with their faces projected on it.

"It's got your information on it," Percy explained. "So it's kind of like an ID. Also, since it's originally for the navy, it processes a map of where you are. It's also supposed to detect other bodies around, something about detecting high thermal energy; I don't really know. There are other things, too. I just haven't fully explored with it yet."

Leo clicked another button. Sure enough there was a rough map of their room with three red dots on it, showing the three occupants inside. "I feel so… so _ninja._ Dudes, we could be secret agents or something! Heck, this would be perfect for sneaking out! It can tell you if the dorm manager's right outside the room for inspection!"

"This is amazing," Jason commented. "Can the air force have something like this, too?"

"Can you imagine?" Leo was saying excitedly. "Once we're already serving in our planets' armies, we have these pretty bad-ass watches to be invincible!"

"Getting way ahead of yourself, Valdez," Percy snorted. "We'll have to graduate first to be eligible."

"We're awesome generals in the making, that's what we are."

"Right, and since I don't want to discuss that impending duty…" Jason walked over to his bed where the three bulky things sat unnoticed until now. "…these are from me. And like Percy – since I like to think you guys are bad influences and I think I'm also accustomed to breaking the rules now – this also hasn't been released to the rest of Olympus yet."

"My, my," Leo teased. "You are getting better with every passing day."

"What are they?" Percy asked. He and Leo both walked to where Jason was standing.

Jason ripped the covering in a very un-Jason-y manner. He grinned at the expression on his friends' faces.

Leo shook his head disbelievingly. "Holy—"

Percy's eyes bulged out. "—hoverboards," he choked out. "Are those—"

"The new ones, yes." Jason nodded excitedly. "But I'm afraid I don't know how to use them. So you guys have to teach me."

"Bros." Leo looked like he was in awe, like he just discovered something amazing. "Matching saber hilts. Matching watches. Matching hoverboards. We have the bromance story of a lifetime!"

Percy stared at his new hover board impatiently. "Can we just head out to the field already?"

No one argued.

* * *

The rest of the hour was spent in teaching Jason how to balance on a floating board. Once he got the hang of it, the three princes didn't waste time in racing around the school grounds (and showing off, really). They weren't bothered by the number of ships landing and revealing more royals for the new semester. And they certainly weren't bothered by all the other stares that came with having a cool (and not to mention, never before seen) hoverboards.

Suddenly Leo whistled in the middle of floating in midair. "Heads up, Percy. We've got a silver cruiser with the Mylita emblem!"

Sure enough there was a new ship landing. Percy didn't doubt the excitement he felt.

A few minutes later, guards donned in grey were exiting the aircraft, followed by the Prince of Mylita. Malcolm surveyed the school grounds with his head held high, a serious expression on his face. Percy could count the number of times Malcolm actually looked like the serious prince raised by the (snobby, oops) Queen of Mylita, and this was one of those moments. For once, Percy actually remembered that Malcolm was just a few months away from graduating, and a few years away from being king.

But the prince in question caught sight of Percy and his friends on their new hoverboards, and Malcolm broke into a boyish grin.

Percy was pretty sure Malcolm wanted to run to their direction, but he was stopped when a rather tall woman exited the silver ship.

She followed Malcolm's stare and her eyes zeroed in on Percy. She raised her eyebrow liked she actually recognized him.

"That's Queen Athena," Jason piped in unhelpfully, staring at Percy with an amused expression on his face.

"Future in-law's kind of scary, Perce," Leo snickered.

Malcolm waved at them, and Percy probably had to force his arm to wave right back.

Thankfully Annabeth chose this moment to disembark the ship.

And Percy couldn't help it. Despite the scary queen ( _sorry Your Highness_ ) staring at him, Percy smiled at his best friend.

"And there he goes, ladies and gentlemen," Leo muttered, rolling his eyes.

Malcolm and Annabeth looked like they were saying goodbye to their mother. It wasn't long until the ship started taking off again, and it wasn't long until both siblings approached the three boys in hoverboards. They were both still tugging their suitcases behind them.

Malcolm's first reaction was to stare at the hoverboards in awe. "What are these things?"

"Only the greatest inventions of all time," Leo said. "Please don't tell me you don't know what a hoverboard is."

Malcolm smiled, shaking his head. "If you haven't noticed, my mother is quite scary."

Jason laughed. "I think Percy's still in shock."

Percy scowled. "I am not," he said before facing Annabeth. "Hey, welcome back."

He was surprised when Annabeth let go of her suitcase and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "I missed you, Seaweed Brain."

Malcolm coughed.

"Aw, Princess," Leo whined, jumping off his floating board. "Didn't you miss me, too?"

"Hardly, Leo," she said, but held out her arms for him anyway. Leo grinned and gave her an arm hug. Jason did the same.

"I've got to get my stuff back to the dorm," Malcolm said. "Do you need any help with yours, 'Beth?"

"I got it," Percy offered, already reaching for Annabeth's luggage.

The princess huffed. "I think I can handle my stuff on my own, thank you."

Percy raised his eyebrows at her, telling her that, _no_ , he insists.

Leo faced Jason. "Well, brother. That's one down because of women. Our manly bonding time is definitely over."

"Nonsense." Annabeth waved a hand. "Percy will be right back, I promise."

And that's when she grabbed his hand and started pulling him away to the direction of the girls' dorm.

Leo was yelling behind them. "Don't do things I wouldn't do!"

"So," Annabeth said once they were out of earshot. "How was your break?"

Percy laughed. "You sound like I didn't talk to you every single day, Princess."

She shrugged. "Amuse me."

"Why," Percy joked. "Everyday without you was a struggle, Your Highness! It's amazing I still live today despite the constant agony I had to go through in the past few weeks!"

"I thank the gods you don't actually sound like that," she snorted before smiling. "And your mother and the baby? Doing okay, I hope?"

He hummed in affirmation. "Yes, except my dad's kind of being overdramatic. He won't let her out of anyone's sight."

"Well, it has been fifteen years since the last time," Annabeth chuckled. They reached the girls' dorm by then. She hurriedly entered the lobby, approaching one of the empty couches and motioning for Percy to set her luggage on it. Percy did what he was told.

Soon she was unzipping her suitcase. "I got you something."

He stared at her. "You didn't have to."

"Yet, you got me something, too, I'm sure."

Percy laughed. "Guilty." He reached for something in his pocket and felt the cold surface of his gift. He's had it since they left for the field, hoping that he'd be able to give it to her immediately when she arrived. "I go first."

He took her hand and opened her palm for her. "You can't find this elsewhere in Olympus," he explained, suddenly going nervous. "Uh, I mean. It's from Aspyros. And it's not much, and you probably get other stuff like this a lot, but I wanted to get you something that's kind of… I don't know? From me, really. Like, _at least_ no one else is going to give you this thing _exactly_ —"

She shook her head, a playful grin on her face. "Can I see it?"

He slowly placed a necklace on her hand. She held it up for better inspection. It was a short silver chain, and it held a silver owl pendant with tiny blue stones for all the other details. It glinted under the dorm lights.

But her smile was probably brighter.

"Percy," she said. "This is beautiful. Are the…?"

"The stones are from Aspyros, yeah," he finished nervously. "There's an ocean right next to the palace, and my father says that's the only place you can ever find—"

She laughed lightly, cutting off his rambling. "Put it on for me?"

She turned around and held up her long hair up. Percy took a step closer and took the necklace. He tried to ignore his trembling hands as he carefully placed the necklace around her neck. She put her hair down again once he was finally down, and he looked over her shoulder to give him a soft smile.

"Thank you," she told him. "You didn't have to, but thank you. Now I think my gift pales in comparison."

He chuckled nervously, hands still slightly shaking. "I doubt it."

"I didn't know what to get you," she admitted, moving near the couch to where her suitcase was on top. She fumbled with it for a few seconds, before she finally produced a small zip lock bag. Percy's eyes widened when he saw what was inside. "What do you get a prince, right?"

"Did you make that yourself?"

He was staring at a bunch of blue cookies, and he was positive his smile was getting wider by the second.

"They might be bad, I know," she defended herself. "And I had to get up early in the morning so I could finish this on time today for the trip. It's also why we arrived a little late—"

It was _his_ turn to catch her off-guard. He moved so quickly that her eyes widened when he suddenly hugged her.

"Thank you, Princess," he said sincerely, taking a step back. He got that same feeling again, the one he always got when talking to Annabeth and especially when it felt like she actually felt the same way he did.

He must've been the luckiest prince in Olympus.

His warm smile was replaced by a mischievous expression.

"But you'll have to be honest," he continued. "Did you burn the palace kitchen while making these?"

Her playful laugh partnered with a punch on the shoulder further proved that, yeah, he really was the luckiest prince.

* * *

Percy probably froze on the spot once he and Annabeth returned to the field.

Because right next to Leo and Jason was a blond prince that Percy didn't expect to see.

"What's Travis doing here?" he asked no one in particular. They were a few meters away from the mingling princes.

Annabeth gave him a confused look. "Why wouldn't he be here?"

Percy ran suddenly, momentarily forgetting that Annabeth was behind him. He felt nervous and he didn't know why, and he would've been lying if he said he didn't have a tiny feeling of hope in him.

"Travis!" he cried out once he was within hearing range. "Hey, man, welcome back! I thought for sure you weren't coming back for the semester!"

The new crown prince of Pherena looked just as confused as Annabeth. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Luke talked to me over the break," Percy explained, grinning. "Does that mean he's here, too? That you guys talked some sense into King Hermes into letting you continue studying here?"

Silence.

"Percy," Travis said slowly. "Let me get this straight. Luke talked to you?"

The Aspyros prince nodded. "Yeah… where is he? What's going on?"

"Percy," Travis said again. "Luke ran away last winter. We haven't seen him since."

 **End of Chapter Ten**

* * *

Pitchforks and the occasional questions and criticisms are allowed. Also, I'd just like to remind everyone that there's already a plot written out for this story. If the updates come in slow (huhu and I'm really sorry they are), it's not because of writer's block. You can totally blame college and my inability to handle procrastination.

Thank you all for reading! Until the next chapter!

-YJ

 **tumblr: itsscaryyoke**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey! Sorry for the wait! So this chapter is fairly short. I wanted to get this out before my exams on October 31. At least I know my Halloween's going to be scary. I hope everyone has a great day! Happy reading!**

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own PJO, HoO, Star Wars and other familiar references. All rights belong to their original owners.

* * *

 **Of Crowns and Cookies**

 **Chapter Eleven**

"Okay," Annabeth said finally, snapping her fingers in front of Percy's faraway look. "What's wrong?"

He stared at her for a few seconds, wondering how long he was out this time. Finally he shook his head, focusing his attention back to his half-finished breakfast. "Nothing's wrong."

"Stop picking at your food, Percy," she chastised him.

"Not hungry."

She sighed, reaching out two fingers from across the table and placing them under his chin. She directed his gaze back at her. "See? Now there's something definitely wrong. You've been like this since last night."

And that was true. Yesterday when they saw each other at the field, Travis had politely asked the rest of them to leave while he talked in private with Percy. The Pherena prince was bewildered that Luke managed to contact Percy before mysteriously disappearing, and he was even more shocked to discover that Luke _lied_ about him and Travis not going back to the academy. King Hermes definitely didn't say anything about not returning and being locked up in the palace forever.

And the whole time, Percy felt an ugly ache in his chest. He didn't know what to believe anymore. Luke, his first friend at the academy, possibly lied to him. What was worse was that his sudden disappearance made him a suspect for Connor's death.

But the rest of the world didn't know. The rest of the academy's knowledge was limited to the fact that Luke Castellan was no longer coming back. He didn't disappear; he just didn't want to return.

"You can't tell anyone, Percy," Travis had told him yesterday. "Not even Annabeth. Not yet."

Percy remembered frowning, shaking his head in disbelief at everything he was hearing. "What's going on, Travis?"

"I don't know. But what I do know is _what_ caused Connor to die," Travis said. "My mother – the Queen of Pherena – finally agreed to an autopsy, and she says it's okay for the rest of the school to know. It's going to be announced tomorrow by the holo-broadcasting system."

"I'll wait," Percy had promised, not pressuring his friend to say anything he didn't want to say. "But…"

Gone were the days of Travis' mischievous demeanor. His dark expression looked so much like Luke's it was scary. "We don't know anything about the bastard who killed my brother. Not yet. Whoever he is, he's dead to me."

"Olympus to Percy," Annabeth was saying, once again breaking Percy out of his stupor.

Percy wanted to tell her so bad it started to hurt. "I want to tell you something," he said despite of what Travis said.

"Related to what you talked about with Travis yesterday?"

He nodded slowly. "I'm not supposed to," he sighed, frustrated. "But I can't keep anything from you. And this thing—it's driving me _nuts_. I can't—" he took a deep breath after he realized he was hyperventilating. "—I can't—I _don't_ understand. What the _hell_ is going on?"

She smiled sympathetically. "I don't understand either, Percy. You're going to have to calm down."

"Luke's gone," he blurted out, getting more nervous and frustrated by the second.

"Everyone knows, Percy," she said, cocking her head to the side in confusion. "I mean, no one can blame him. What happened to Connor Stoll is enough to make anyone traumatized about coming back."

"No, no." Percy shook his head. "That's not what I meant. Look, last winter he called me and he said he and Travis weren't going back. That King Hermes practically won't allow them out of the palace anymore."

"I don't get your point." Annabeth's lips pursed. "So, Travis must've talked him out of it, but Luke—"

He cut her off. "Except Travis said King Hermes said no such thing."

She stared at him. "… I don't understand."

Percy took a deep breath, the pain of having his trust broken returning. "Annabeth, Luke _lied_ to me. He's gone. He's ran away, according to Travis. No one's seen him since the break. And apparently—" were his hands shaking? "— _I'm_ the last known person he's had any contact with."

Annabeth's shaken look was enough to tell him that she suddenly felt nervous. "Gods. Percy… you don't think he—"

Percy nodded reluctantly. "He's a suspect now. But you can't tell anyone. Travis made me swear not to say anything, but…"

"I won't tell," she promised. "That's pretty big news, all right. Percy? Please be careful."

Their conversation was cut off by the sound of music blasting from the mess hall speakers. Suddenly the holo-projectors flashed brightly, and everyone eating their breakfast was greeted by the holographic image of a girl in her school uniform. It looked like she was talking from behind a desk. She had a stack of papers on her hands.

"Good morning, Olympus Academy," she said. "This is Calypso Atlas of Ogygia, bringing you today's news and highlights. First thing's first and I'm going to cut to the chase, we bring you official reports from the planet of Pherena. After last month's incident of His Highness Connor Stoll's death, today we'll be officially announcing – with consent from the royal palace of Pherena and the royal family - the results of his autopsy."

The whole mess hall was quiet as everyone held their breaths.

Even Calypso, the reporter, looked like she was shaking as she read from her script. "Autopsy results indeed show that the fallen prince was poisoned. A significant amount of indigestible _Toxic Tulips_ were extracted from his system. How His Highness was able to have such an intake is considerably unknown. The kingdom of Pherena reports that they are doing the best they can for further investigation."

"In the meantime," Calypso continued. "Keep safe, everyone. May Connor Stoll rest in peace."

The rest of the students were still quiet as the reporter continued to talk about other news and announcements for the day.

Finally, Annabeth spoke, breaking the silence between her and Percy. "…how is that possible?" she whispered to no one in particular. Then she looked at Percy with a serious expression. "Did you hear what she said?"

"Poison," he muttered. " _Toxic_ something; I don't know."

" _Toxic Tulips_." Her nose scrunched in disgust as she said the words. "Do you remember the first time we were at the library? When you were doing your Geography One project while I was studying Biology One?"

"…yeah?" He wasn't sure where she was going.

"Biology One is essentially Botany, and if I remember correctly I was complaining about poisonous plants with adorable names."

"And…" he said slowly. " _Toxic Tulips_ was one of them? Doesn't sound that scary to me."

"Names can be deceiving," she stated. "Percy, that particular plant can only be found in Tartarus."

His senses were suddenly tingling. " _What?_ "

"It's not something you can just find anywhere." Her lips formed a straight line. Her eyebrows scrunched even further. "I don't understand how that's the cause of Connor's death. It's not like he's going to eat it randomly. And I don't think he's made any recent trips to Tartarus."

"And if that's not the case…" Percy gulped. "Someone here…" He didn't want to finish the thought.

The look of horror on Annabeth's face was already enough proof of the looming danger. "There must be someone in this school we can't trust."

* * *

What was becoming a horrible day was instantly turned upside down by Piper McLean's sudden bossiness.

"I need to talk to you," she told Percy, slamming her hand on his table and snapping him out of his reverie. Around him people were buzzing in the mess hall. The new semester brought him a Monday lunch schedule without Jason or Leo or Annabeth.

He didn't even notice he was zoning out again. He was thankful Piper decided this moment to bother him.

"Um…" he started. He wasn't sure if the demanding look on her face made him want to laugh or be scared. "Can I help you, Piper?"

She looked annoyed. "No."

And that absolutely confused him. "I thought you wanted to talk to me?"

"I do, but I don't think there's anything you can do to help. Your roommate is the densest human being in the whole of Olympus," she complained, sliding down on the seat in front of him.

Percy decided this moment to snicker (which was probably a bad idea, considering the fuming princess in front of him). "Oh, you mean Leo? Yeah, he is kinda dense. Don't worry; you just have to give him a little more time to—"

She reached over and smacked him at the back of the head. "I'm talking about _Jason_ , you seaweed brain," she huffed.

Percy's guffaws probably attracted more than half of the people in the mess hall. "Relax. I know."

Piper heaved out a frustrated sigh. "Now's probably not the time to be worrying about stuff like this, I know." She shook her head. "But _ugh_. You told me once he was absolutely clueless about girls, but gods, Percy, you weren't exaggerating!"

He smiled sympathetically, knowing his best friend. "You've got to elaborate, Princess."

"We talked everyday during the break – oh, _don't_ give me that look; I know _you_ talked to Annabeth everyday, too. But, anyway, I thought we were great. Sometimes I called him and sometimes he called me first. And I think I made it clear more than once that I liked him. I mean, I'm kind of obvious, right?"

Percy snorted. "The whole of Olympus thinks you're obvious."

She whacked him again. "Oh, shut up. And… and… there were times, Percy, that I _swore_ he felt the same way. And I don't know." She sighed. "I thought things were going to be a little bit different once the second semester started."

 _Oh, Piper. If only you knew._

"Hmm," he muttered. "Are we done?"

Piper nodded miserably. "You must think I'm really stupid now, huh?"

"Not at all." He grinned. "I understand. You're from that overpopulated planet, aren't you? Love's your advocacy and all that."

She kicked him under the table this time.

"First of all," he said, laughing. "I was kidding. And second, _ow._ "

She grimaced, whining. "You're laughing at me!"

"Not at you, I promise," Percy assured her, but there were still traces of a smile on his face. "It's just that… well, we're talking about Jason here. He's in the process of becoming normal. Hey, did you know he knows how to ride a hoverboard now?"

"Yeah, he was excited to tell me."

"And anyway, girls are entirely a new concept to him. He's probably really, really confused about your advances towards him."

"Advances," she scoffed. "Sure, call it that way."

"Now's probably the time I'd offer to help, but…"

"No, no," she said. "There's not much you can do, anyway."

"I can hit him on the head until he starts seeing sense of why you're flirting with him."

"Does he even know what _flirting_ means?"

Percy shrugged. "Not sure. You can try talking to him, you know."

"I talk to him all the time."

"No, like… talk to him about your feelings?" He internally cringed at his words. What was he doing? Why was he the one giving the advice?

Her expression was priceless. "You mean… _I_ ask _him_ out?"

He couldn't see what was wrong with that (what does he know?), but Piper's face said otherwise. "Um…"

Her expression softened. "Hmm, yeah. That could work."

"Feminism," he piped in randomly. "Being a strong independent woman. Stuff like that. I don't know. See? You don't need my help after all."

She hit him for the millionth time that day. He was going to develop a bruise, he was sure.

"What is up with you and Annabeth and hitting people?" He complained, rubbing a sore spot.

"Annabeth was right." Piper grinned. "Talking to you was a great idea."

He snorted, amused. "What in the world was Annabeth thinking?" Percy joked. "Did she think I'm some sort of love expert now?"

Piper shrugged, grinning slyly at him. "Maybe. Obviously you're doing something right with her."

She burst out laughing at the blush on his cheeks.

* * *

Jason burst into their room, face sweaty and backpack nearly falling off his shoulder.

"Whoa," Leo said at the sight of the Prince of Katias. "What happened to you?"

Jason was breathing loudly. He held up a hand, signaling his roommates to wait, while the other held one of his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

"Dude." Percy dangled his legs to the side of his bed, sitting up and putting the book he was reading down. "Are you okay?"

Jason managed to do a frantic gesture with his head. Percy wasn't sure if he was shaking it or nodding. "Piper," he managed to choke out, still breathing heavily.

That got Leo and Percy's attention. Both boys stared at each other, identical worried expressions on their faces.

"Piper?" Leo asked slowly. "Is she all right?"

"She… she…" Jason stuttered. "She asked me out."

Leo's expression suddenly turned annoyed. He threw a pillow at the panicking prince. "Dude! You scared the living crap out of us!"

"What?" Jason defended, throwing the pillow back at him. "I'm scared, too!"

Percy laid back down on his bed, grinning but not saying anything and returning to his book. He didn't expect Piper to act _this_ fact, but eh. The look on Jason's face was worth it.

"About time she did something," Leo commented. "We were growing old waiting for you."

"I wasn't sure if she liked me!"

Percy peered from his book. "You're kidding us, right?"

Jason pointed at accusing finger at him. "You! Piper told me _you_ had something to do with this!"

"Calm down, dude. Are you… trembling?"

"Don't laugh at me!"

"You _did_ say yes, right?" Leo asked.

"I'm not that stupid." Jason scowled. "Of course I did."

Leo shrugged. "Just checking. Didn't want to risk you being clueless again."

The blond prince groaned, moving towards Percy's bed and dramatically lying down by the Aspyros prince's feet. "What am I going to do?" He tugged one of Percy's legs. "Perce, I need your help."

Percy snorted, roughly tugging his leg back. "You're on your own, dude. I barely know what I'm doing myself."

"Could've fooled me."

"Whoa, _whoa_ ," Leo intercepted. "How come you're not asking _me_?"

"Ask questions you don't know the answers to, Valdez," Percy snickered.

This time the Aspyros prince was the receiving end of the pillow.

All too soon Leo was pouncing on the tiny bed. He attempted to land on top of Percy.

"You've insulted my pride, Jackson!"

"Hey, watch it! This is Annabeth's book!"

"Guys!" Jason cried. "Focus!"

Percy finally pushed Leo off the bed. The lanky prince lied flat on the floor.

Silence.

"I'm hungry," Leo suddenly said from the floor.

Jason sighed. "Me too. Mess hall?"

"Agreed," Percy said.

Internally he sighed. It was a relief to know, that even through all the drama, at least some things haven't changed yet.

 **End of Chapter Eleven**

* * *

 **Thank you for reading! Thoughts?**

 **-YJ**


	12. Chapter 12

**The semester is finally over! Yay! And this is here! Is it still pointless to apologize for the long wait? Yeah, you guys are probably going to kill me anyway. Haha. See you at the bottom!**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own PJO, HoO, Star Wars, and any other familiar references in this story. All rights belong to their respective owners.

* * *

 **Of Crowns and Cookies**

 **Chapter Twelve**

Leo still had his eyes directed outside the window. "Why is this event such a big deal?"

Percy looked up from his homework, following Leo's gaze. Students looked busy outside on the field, setting up stalls and gigantic holographic posters. There were images of what vaguely looked like fireworks.

"Um," he said. "Because it's the school's eighty-ninth founding anniversary?"

"If it's an anniversary, then why are people going frantic looking for dates?"

"This coming from a lady-lover like you." Percy grinned, rolling his eyes. "Who killed your goldfish?"

"This is the school's _anniversary_ ," Leo insisted. "I mean, yeah, it coincides with Valentine's Day of all events, but _come on._ We should be celebrating the academy, people! The fireworks aren't even _that_ romantic!"

"First girl you asked said no?"

The Ceprione prince nodded miserably. "And the second… and the third…"

"Hey." Percy smiled lightly, nudging Leo's leg under the table with his foot. "Those girls don't know what they're missing."

"I know, right?" Leo said a little too loudly. "I'm Leonardo Valdez! I'm as hot as my planet!"

Annabeth finally spoke for the first time since they sat on their table. "We are in a _library._ The two of you— _shut up._ "

Leo grinned. "I will never get used to you saying that, princess."

Jason and Piper chose this moment to arrive. Their entwined hands didn't go unnoticed.

Leo scowled for the hundredth time that day. "That!" He pointed to Jason and Piper's hands. "That is what makes the school a disgrace! The two of you should be ashamed of yourselves!"

Jason glanced at Percy as the blond prince took his seat beside him. "Girls said no?"

Percy nodded. "I guess so."

"Aw, Leo," Piper said, ruffling Leo's hair. "We're going as a group, anyway. All for one."

"It's like all the greatness I was born with comes down to this very moment," Leo pretended to sniff. "Was I always destined to be a fifth wheel?"

"Dramatic," Annabeth commented, eyes still on homework.

"You don't know how I feel, Annabeth!"

"Technically, you're not a fifth wheel yet." She finally looked up. Her grey eyes trained on Percy, and she raised a perfect eyebrow. "Percy here hasn't asked me out yet."

Four pairs of eyes were on the Aspyros prince.

Jason coughed.

Piper snickered.

Leo had a what-the-hell-are-you-going-to-do look.

Percy shook his head, letting out a nervous laugh. "Is it your life mission to embarrass me?"

"We're waiting, you idiot," Piper muttered under her breath.

"If there's any reason why I haven't asked you," Percy continued. "It's because I'm not sure if you're actually going to say yes or kill me."

Annabeth kicked him under the table.

He burst out laughing before giving her a small smile, suddenly gaining all the confidence in Olympus albeit blushing slightly. He found one of her hands from across the table. "Watch the fireworks with me tonight?"

She smiled smugly. "I thought you'd never ask, Prince Perseus."

Leo sighed, pretending to be wistful. "Ah, young love. And here I am. Back to being lonely again."

"You've got us, bro," Jason told him. "You won't even know you're a fifth wheel!"

"Say that again, Superma—"

"Annabeth!" someone suddenly cried out. The door burst open and the librarian glared at the intruder.

"There you are! Thank the gods you're here!" The girl panted. Percy recognized her as the one whose face is plastered on the holo-screen every morning at breakfast. "I know you said you weren't going to be busy tonight – well, unless that Perseus Jackson finally asks you out—and –"

She suddenly stopped short, finally noticing the prince she just mentioned. She looked him dead in the eye. "You didn't yet, did you?"

Percy was confused. "Huh?"

Annabeth was more than happy to interject. "I'm actually busy tonight, Calypso."

Calypso was still glaring at the Aspyros prince, hitting him quite painfully on the arm.

Poor Percy still couldn't understand what was going on. " _Hey!_ " he exclaimed, rubbing the spot she just hit.

"Now I have to cover alone tonight," Calypso half-whined, half-grumbled. She finally turned to the blond princess. "Annabeth, they're making me do a live broadcast tonight. Now that Luke's gone, there's no one else to set up the perfect stage. All the others have already been asked to the fireworks tonight, and you're the only other one who knows how to adjust the lighting and the audio." She shot Percy an annoyed look again. "This is all your fault."

"I didn't know!" Percy defended himself. "Hey, if this is really important—"

Annabeth kicked him under the table. "Hush, Perseus. I've waited forever for you to finally ask me out."

Piper snorted. Calypso finally noticed that there were three other people with the couple.

Leo, as usual, was the first one to make his name known. "Finally nice to see you up close and personal, Princess. My name's—"

Calypso cut him off, grumbling. "Unless you know how to work a set, you're not hitting on me."

Percy and Jason shared a look before Jason beamed. "Actually…"

"That's not a bad idea!" Annabeth grinned, sending Leo a look that looked like she was thankful he existed. "Calypso, Leo here is a _genius_ when it comes to all things technical! Leo, if you don't mind, you can help Calypso out tonight."

"But I thought you said we were going to the fireworks as a group…"

Piper must've kicked him underneath the table, because suddenly he cried out an, "Ow!"

Percy answered for him. "He'd love to help you out, Calypso."

She hadn't warmed up to him yet. "This better not be a ploy to get Annabeth out of your date tonight, Jackson."

"No, no," Annabeth said, but she looked like she was close to snickering. "Leo's really skilled, I promise. Do you remember the holographic posters for the Blue Team at the Olympics last semester? He created those."

Calypso raised an eyebrow, finally looking at the Ceprione prince. "Well, Your Highness? Your friends appear to be very supportive. Will I see you later?" Before Leo could open his mouth, she added, "This isn't a _date_. We're going to be _working._ "

Leo was finally out of his stupor. He grinned widely. "Guess I'll just have to look extra hot tonight."

Calypso scowled. "You're a lucky prince because I don't have a choice. School grounds by the academic building entrance, six o'clock sharp. We're heading to the broadcasting room for the equipment and you'll be in charge of that."

Leo nodded obediently, winking. "You got it, Princess."

She left without another word.

"It's a date!" He called out to her retreating form, earning him a glare from the passing librarian. He turned to his friends once she exited the library. "You guys better not be getting rid of me _because_ you all want to be with your respective dates."

"What?" Jason coughed. "No, no, not at all."

"Calypso's beautiful," Piper offered. "You'd make a great couple."

"Just…" Percy muttered. "Try not to… screw up?"

Leo faced Annabeth. "I never thought I'd see the day you'd wingman for me, Annabeth."

"Wingman." Annabeth and Percy nodded a little too enthusiastically. "Of course. That's what I was doing."

"Traitors," Leo said but he smiled mischievously as he leaned back on his chair. "I'm so happy for you guys, but I hate you all."

Percy used the hand that wasn't holding Annabeth's to pinch Leo's cheek. Jason did the same. "We love you, too, brother."

* * *

For obvious reasons, their plan to go as a group immediately died.

Percy and Annabeth were sitting cross-legged in the middle of the field amidst all the other students. They were still in their school uniforms, not bothering to change unlike all the others with their respective dates. They were cooped up in the library, anyway, trying to finish as much homework as they could until they realized the event was finally starting.

Then Percy shyly took her hand to lead her out of the library, and her smile was so bright she could've blinded him.

And now she was talking to him. Her eyes were on the huge screen in front of them where Calypso's figure was reporting, but Annabeth was holding his hand and she was smiling as she talked.

His cheeks were hurting from grinning, too.

"Percy?" she suddenly said.

Whoops. "Sorry, what?"

She snorted at him, and she was so different from the snobby princess he first met that it was weird. "You're staring."

But she was still an expert at making him embarrassed.

And he had a crush on that snobby princess, anyway.

He liked all things Annabeth, he decided.

"Sorry," he said again, chuckling. "You… you make me nervous."

She smirked at him, nudging his shoulder with her head. "I thought we established that the first time we met?"

"This is different."

"How so?"

"Well…" he started, not giving her playful face the satisfaction. "We're holding hands now."

"Ah." Annabeth squeezed his hand to emphasize her point. "Okay. But we've held hands before."

"This is still different."

She looked like she was going to start laughing. "How so?" she asked again.

"You're torturing me."

She shook her head, chuckling. "No, I'm not." But she leaned in to kiss his cheek before resting her head on his shoulder.

And, really. That was torture enough.

Silence consumed them again as they watched the holo-screen in front of them. There was a countdown for the fireworks shown.

At the back of Percy's head was a nagging thought. It was weird being in a school event without knowing what was going on. Usually Luke filled him in, but for reasons unknown to him he wasn't here. His absence was the only thing that made this semester bad. He had Jason and Leo, but Luke was his first friend and he knew the ins and the outs of the school. He had Malcolm, but Mylita prince was more interested in blaster shooting than in saber sparring. He had Annabeth, but he really, really did miss Luke.

"I can hear you thinking," Annabeth said, looking up at him from where her head was resting. "You're sad."

"I'm with you," he stated. "Nothing's wrong."

"Your shoulders just sagged." She lifted her head from his shoulder and she turned to look at him. He wanted to protest at the sudden lack of contact, but he settled for wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her to him instead.

She knew him too well.

"I was just thinking."

"About Luke?" He couldn't lie to her, so he nodded slowly. "Oh, Percy. I wish I knew what to say, but I don't know what's going on either."

"I know. I'm sorry." He shook his head this time, deciding to change the subject. "Hey, how do you think Leo is doing?"

She burst out laughing, and he felt his heart clench at how pretty and adorable she was. He was an idiot for ruining their night, even if it was just for a little while.

"I won't be surprised if he's burst from all the excitement."

"He's with you and Piper all the time. He should be used to beautiful girls."

"You and your attempts to be smooth."

"Is it working?"

"I'm with you right now, aren't I?"

Gods, she was beautiful. He couldn't help it; it was his turn to kiss her cheek.

He felt himself smile a little once he saw her blush.

"Speaking of Piper, have you seen her and Jason yet?" Annabeth asked.

Percy's eyes searched the crowd, and he was thankful for the job. He tried really, really hard not to faint at Annabeth's scent being so strong and her presence being _this_ close. "As a matter of fact, I haven't."

"They probably aren't even in the field. In fact, I don't think they'll be watching the fireworks at all."

He raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I think Jason's learning how to kiss a girl as we speak."

Her words dawned on him a second too late. "Oh," he said. "Really?"

"Do you know Piper?"

He snorted. "Oh, man. Jason's going to die."

"At least he'll die happy."

He hummed in agreement.

"And," she continued. "At least he'll die knowing how to kiss the girl he likes."

Percy's eyes probably shot right out his sockets. But, nope, still intact. (He checked).

"What?" he choked out.

"Ooh, one hour left until the fireworks," she said instead, and he just _knew_ that he changed the subject on purpose.

Well, two can play at that game.

"Wise Girl," he said, tugging on her uniform sleeve to avert her attention back to him.

"Hmm?"

"Hey." He smiled shyly because _to whoever is up there please don't let him lose any confidence now_. "I like you."

And it probably would've been the greatest night of his life, too, if they both finished leaning and he finally, _finally_ got to kiss her.

But his holopad rang.

And Annabeth glared at Percy's backpack and where the sound was coming from. She took out his holopad for him and all the color from her face drained.

"Who is it?"

"Percy." She forgot that she was supposed to be annoyed.

"Luke is calling you."

 **End of Chapter Twelve**

* * *

So… this was kind of a filler-slash-fluffly-slash-what-the-fck-is-going-on kind of chapter, eh? Since it's the break, the next chapter should be out real soon. :D

In the meantime, I have a new one-shot posted, and it was really just something I did so I can get back to writing again. Nonetheless, if you have the time, go check it out. It's entitled, "Swings" and it's Percabeth, of course. :)

Thank you for reading! Comments (and bad-author-why-did-you-take-this-long messages) are welcome!

Oh, and if you have any questions, I will most likely answer on my Tumblr ask: **itsscaryyoke.** The link is on my profile. I also posted an important announcement there, too. ;) Happy December, you guys!

-YJ


	13. Chapter 13

**So… I received quite the interesting reviews for the last chapter. Ehehe. Hi guys. Don't worry. I think this one's going to make up for it.**

 **(Not really. Mwahaha!)**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own PJO, HoO, Star Wars, or any other familiar references in this story. All rights belong to their respective owners.

* * *

 **Of Crowns and Cookies**

 **Chapter Thirteen**

" _Percy, Luke is calling you."_

His fingers twitched as he reached out for the device in Annabeth's amazingly calm hands.

"Hold on," she said, glancing around the field to see if anyone else heard what she just said. "You need to answer this where people can't hear you. We definitely don't want anyone else talking."

He nodded mutely as she handed him his holopad.

"Be careful, Percy," she warned him, squeezing his hand in assurance. "I'll wait here."

It probably wasn't the best idea, but it's been almost two months since he last heard from his friend. It didn't help that he could possibly be the only one who could answer all the questions to whatever was going on. And if it did turn out that Luke was the bad guy…

…what was he going to do?

Percy ended up on the outskirts of the school field, just outside the makeshift barrier and just enough to be away from hearing range. His holopad was still vibrating like crazy, even if it already took him too long to answer. Whatever Luke wanted must've been pretty urgent.

He didn't know what to expect when he pressed a button, but there was no holo-image shimmering in front of him.

Percy remained quiet, not sure if the call was actually transmitting.

"Percy," a voice on the other end said. "Are you there?"

"Luke," Percy answered. He didn't know what to feel. "Is that… is that you?"

It was probably the first time he received a call that was bare audio. He couldn't see Luke or where he was, and the thought scared Percy a little. What in Olympus' name was going on that he needed to be _this_ secretive?

"Yes." There was loud noise from where Luke was coming from. There was probably shouting, too, and something that sounded like boisterous laughter. "Listen, are you alone?"

Percy's heart felt like it was going to hammer straight out of his chest, and, _no_ , it's definitely not because of Annabeth this time.

"Uh." _Calm down, Percy._ "No one can hear me, if that's what you're asking."

Luke chuckled. "Great, great. Man, I missed your humor."

Percy wanted to protest that he wasn't trying to be funny, but the older prince continued. "I've been meaning to talk to you for a while, Percy. It's great to hear from you."

What?

Suddenly Percy felt a surge of an uncomfortable feeling.

"What?" He voiced his thoughts. "Luke, I don't know what you're trying to do or what the _hell_ is going on, but…" Did he really just swear? "…whatever it is, I don't think we're up for just a casual conversation."

He realized too late that he was _angry._

But how could he not be?

Luke _lied_ to him and Percy was probably the closest one to finding the answers, and that's not saying a lot. His cousin Travis is going nuts trying to figure out who killed his older brother, and then suddenly Luke just pops in _casually_ like he isn't a suspect for killing the then crown prince of Pherena.

Luke was silent for a moment before he sighed. "Yeah, you're right." He made a strained noise that sounded vaguely like a grunt. "There's no beating around the bush, huh? I suppose we do have a lot of things to talk about."

Percy was really, really tempted to swear.

But Luke said, "I have a favor to ask from you, actually."

And if receiving the call wasn't already enough of a surprise, _that_ certainly was.

"From me?"

"You're the only person I can trust, Percy," Luke said. And he really, really sounded genuine. "Tell you what. I can't risk your life and your reputation by talking to you right now. So I'm going to have to ask to meet you."

" _What?_ " Percy exclaimed for probably the hundredth time since he answered the call. "How? Luke, _where are you?_ What in the world is going on?"

"I'll explain in time, my friend," Luke replied, and it hurt Percy that he used the term _friend_ after all the secrecy. It hurt him even more that he knew more than Travis, and Percy knew for a fact that the Pherena prince was going out of his mind trying to figure out what happened to his brother.

If Prince Perseus Jackson of Aspyros was anything, he was loyal.

And he felt far from it right now.

But Luke was his first friend in the academy, and he taught him a lot including his love for saber sparring.

He didn't know what made him agree.

"When?"

He could feel Luke smile at the other end of the holopad. "I'll let you know," Luke said. "I'm sure you've already figured out by now that I'm not supposed to let anyone know where I am. Any form of contact with you is dangerous."

"And yet, you're talking to me right now."

Luke ignored him. "I'll send you a sign. You'll figure it out. You're smart. Let's meet where we always do."

The longer he talked to Luke, the more nervous Percy felt. He stared at the countdown on the huge holo-screen on the field. There was about thirty minutes left before the fireworks could start. He immediately felt bad for leaving Annabeth.

"I have to go, Luke," Percy said, itching to go back to his best friend.

Luke hummed in agreement. "I'm sorry if I interrupted anything. I'll see you soon."

There was static, and immediately the transmission died. Percy stared at his holopad for a solid minute before he walked back to the field.

Annabeth was sitting on the same spot he left her. She was clutching his backpack close to her chest when he approached.

"Percy?" she asked cautiously.

How was he supposed to make sense of what happened? He understood that he had to keep his mouth shut, but could he keep anything from Annabeth, really?

"I think I'm in trouble," he wasted no time saying. He lowered his voice so no one else could hear. "I'm seeing him."

Her gray eyes widened, but her voice was just as soft when she spoke. "Luke?"

"I'm…" he stammered. "I'm fine."

But she could see that he wasn't. She immediately let go of his backpack and placed her arms around him instead.

He shook his head before pulling away slightly. "Sorry. This was supposed to be a great night."

She smiled slightly at him. "Who said it's not going to be?"

He nodded. "Keep my mind off things?"

She did so by lying on the grass like the rest of the students were doing. It continually amazed him how different she was from how she first met him; she was lying on the dirt _without_ complaining and she was grinning up at him like she was comfortable. She patted the space next to her.

He didn't hesitate lying down beside her, not caring that his polo was going to be annoying to wash.

The Pixebes sky reminded him of Aspyros. The stars were bright and really, that was enough to give him courage to reach out for her hand and entwine it with his between them. They were amongst all the other people, but he didn't care. He guessed he wasn't the only sappy one tonight.

"He told me he'll give me a sign," Percy started, sighing and squeezing her hand.

She turned her head towards the ground so that she could look at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He attempted to shrug. "I'm not sure either. But he told me that I'll figure it out when I see it."

"Hey." She nudged his shoulder with their entwined hands. "You're going to be careful, okay?"

"I will be." He nodded before grinning. "Now, you're supposed to be keeping my mind off of things."

She rolled her eyes but laughed. "You started it!"

He stared at her, thinking of ways of going back to their previous discussion before they were interrupted by Luke's stupid call.

"What do you think Malcolm would say if he saw us right now?" Annabeth asked, effectively changing the subject.

Percy's cheeks immediately felt warm. "Um."

Was she snickering? This wasn't a matter to be laughed at. Nope. Certainly not. Not at all.

"Kidding!" Annabeth laughed. "I definitely don't want to think of my brother while I'm out here holding hands with you."

"You bully me."

"All in a day's work, my prince."

"But I like you," he blurted out stupidly, and immediately he felt like he wanted to smack himself on the head.

She chuckled, though, but she wasn't meeting his gaze as she looked up at the sky. "You already said that earlier."

"I mean it."

"I like you, too, you Seaweed Brain." Annabeth finally looked at him and grinned. "But with how dense you're being, I'm not sure if you can actually tell."

"Well, under all that bullying…"

She punched his shoulder.

Percy burst out laughing. "See?"

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Maybe hitting you is my way of saying that I like you."

"Does that mean you like Leo, too? Because you tend to hit him a lot. Jason, too, now that I think about it…"

"Percy _._ "

"Should I be hurt? Because I always thought that we had a thing."

" _Percy._ "

"Oh no. How ever will I face my best friends now? Knowing that the girl I've liked since the beginning of the school year likes the both of them instead?"

" _I'm_ your best friend. Shut up, Percy."

"Oh my gods, are you blushing? You really do have it bad for Leo _and_ Jason!"

"I said _shut up._ "

Now, Princess Annabeth Chase of Mylita was an expert at a lot of things. Over the course of their friendship, Percy had learned that she performed excellently academically, and he also knew that even though the princesses were stuck with basic life saving for their first year, Annabeth knew how to make the strongest princes cry with just a single punch on their shoulders. (Leo wouldn't want to admit that, but he was a living proof).

Percy had yet to learn, however, that she was also an expert at making him shut up.

"No, Anna— _mmph_."

Suddenly on the Olympus Academy for the Royalty school fields, Annabeth closed the distance between them by pressing her lips onto Percy's. He might have stopped breathing. He might have rested their entwined hands on his chest. He might have embarrassingly sighed happily and involuntarily against her mouth.

He might have. Just might have. Nope, he wasn't embarrassing himself. No, not at all.

"Shut up," she said quietly and half-heartedly once she pulled away. Her pale cheeks were tinted pink and Percy could swear that her gray eyes twinkled in the darkness. (He had to mentally slap himself, because _gods_ he was such a sap and _what in the world is this girl doing to him?_ ). He thought that it was physically impossible for someone to be _this_ beautiful.

But apparently it wasn't. Because 'lo and behold, universe. Annabeth Chase exists.

Percy probably looked like an idiot with his really huge grin and probably too bright eyes, but he couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. "Malcolm's going to kill me if he sees us right now."

"Yeah, uh, we shouldn't really be talking about my brother right now."

"I thought you said you liked Leo and Jason? Apparently you like me, too. Wow, Annabeth. Three boys, really?"

She kissed him just to make him stop talking.

His cheeks hurt from grinning. "I'm not really open to the thought of you liking my roommates."

"Just shut up, Percy."

" _Make me._ You're good at shutting me up."

And she showed him just how much of an expert she was.

She made a show of grabbing his tie, too.

It was a miracle that no one else paid the two of them any mind. Ever since they started being best friends, all the other students were practically obsessed with wanting to know if a certain prince of Aspyros was dating a certain princess of Mylita. The sight of the two of them lying down on the field and kissing would have sent the rest of the student body in havoc, but surprisingly they got their peace.

Apparently, it was no wonder, because soon soft distant explosions in the form of fireworks could be heard. All the other royals around them cheered at the display.

"So," Percy started once they separated to gain their breaths back. "Jason's not the only one who's scoring tonight."

"How many times have I said 'shut up' in the last five minutes?"

"Shutting."

* * *

Percy woke up the next morning to Jason laughing and Leo groaning in annoyance.

"Jason!" Leo was exclaiming. "It's seven in the _morning_ and it's a _Saturday_! Go spread your happiness somewhere else!"

But the blond prince was grinning happily. "But it's breakfast time!"

"They serve breakfast until ten," Leo pointed out, hiding his head full of messy brown hair under his pillow. His voice became muffled as he spoke. "Call Piper or something. Or wake Percy up."

"I'm awake thanks to your ruckus," Percy piped in, but he wasn't exactly annoyed.

Which was weird. Normally he hated being woken up in the morning.

"What is wrongwith the two of you?!" Leo complained. "It's too early to be this cheery! What in the world happened last night?"

Jason's winning smile confirmed Percy's suspicions that he wasn't the only one who got his first kiss last night.

"You act like you didn't just spend the entire night with Calypso," Jason told Leo.

"I was working. In case you haven't noticed, the holo-cast was on until two in the morning."

"Your flirting must've tired you out," Percy said.

"Among other things. Now let me sleep."

Jason playfully jumped on Leo's bed, which caused the Ceprione prince to struggle to kick the invading prince. He ended up falling off the bed instead.

"Jason, you're an asshole when you're in love," Leo huffed.

He was about to get up when something by their door caught his eye. "Hey, what's that?"

Jason and Percy followed Leo's gaze.

Sure enough, there was a small object on the small space at the bottom of their door. Along with it was what looked like folded paper.

Percy immediately felt his body stiffen.

Jason stood up, however, and walked to the direction of their door. He picked up the object and dangled it in the air for his other two roommates to see.

It was a tiny red scythe.

"There's a note," Jason said.

Percy forced himself to ask, "What does it say?"

Jason carefully opened the note. "Huh," he muttered. "It says, _'tonight'_. What does that mean?"

The other two princes were confused, but Percy understood. Apparently, his expected rendezvous was a lot sooner than he thought it would be.

He was meeting Luke tonight.

 **End of Chapter Thirteen**

* * *

Oh me, oh my. What is going on? Cue Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 (ba na na naaa). Anyway, how was this chapter? Finally, huh? Hahaha.

 **IMPORTANT:** Those who've read my blog post would know that this story is coming to a close (gasp!), but those who've read also know that there is a sequel to this one (more gasps!). So, yes, there's going to be a sequel, but the details are going to be pretty secret until I get to at least the second to the last chapter of this story.

Your comments are very much welcome! If you've got any questions, I'm most likely going to answer on my Tumblr: **itsscaryyoke.** The link is on my profile. :) Also, because it's the break, I _might_ be interested in doing some requests. Again, I'm most likely going to respond if you ask through my Tumblr.

Thank you for reading! Happy holidays, guys (if you celebrate at all hehe)!

-YJ

 **(HAVE YOU GUYS WATCHED STAR WARS? LIGHTSABERS YAY)**


	14. Chapter 14

**I JUST TURNED EIGHTEEN TWO DAYS AGO HERE'S A CHAPTER WOO! Thank you for the response on the last chapter! Yes, I am an evil author.**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own PJO, HoO, Star Wars, or any other familiar references in this story. All rights belong to their respective owners.

* * *

 **Of Crowns and Cookies**

 **Chapter Fourteen**

Percy's hand kept going back to where his saber hilt was hanging on his belt.

The clock on the hallway read that there was a few minutes left until curfew, so there were students bustling trying to get whatever they need done before the bell rang.

The broadcasting room was still busy, however. It was the last room with its light still left on, and there were still students entering it even with the few minutes left. Percy recognized Calypso and the other faces he sees on the holo-cast screens everyday.

"Okay," Annabeth said, breaking him out of his reverie. "Well, I'll be just right here if you need anything."

Percy attempted to at least smile for her. "Isn't it unfair that you guys get to break curfew every night?"

She smirked, taking one of his hands that started fidgeting again. "Well, we're working, so I guess that makes up for it. You, on the other hand…"

Percy nodded. "I'll be fine."

"Percy, your hands are shaking."

"Oh, I'm nervous, all right," he managed to chuckle lightly. "I have no idea what's going to happen tonight, but I'll be fine. I think."

She raised a perfect eyebrow. "You think?"

"I mean, I hope so."

She shook her head. "No, you _have_ to be okay. Do you have your watch with you?"

Percy lifted his arm to show him the gadget on his wrist. "Hey, don't worry. It's me." Was he convincing her or himself? He wasn't sure. He was glad her hand was wrapped around his because he was very tempted to whip out his saber out of nervousness.

She sighed. "That's exactly the reason why I should be worrying. Well, I've got to go, but if things start to get out of hand… the gym's not that far from here, is it? You can run. You're not out of shape."

They both figured that Luke meant the gym when he said to meet where they always do. Not the most discreet of places, but Percy guessed that Luke must have his reasons. Hopefully, those reasons don't include some spontaneous saber sparring.

"That's not sarcasm, right?"

"It's not." Annabeth kissed his cheek. "Don't get caught."

"Annabeth Chase telling me not to get caught. Oh, how you've changed."

"Shut up, you," she managed to laugh, once again proving how she's not the same princess anymore.

He watched her enter the broadcasting room and wave at her friends. The clock on the wall read that there was five minutes until curfew, but instead of walking towards the direction of the boys' dorm, he walked towards the gym instead. Without Annabeth's hand gripping his, he found himself looking for comfort from his saber hilt again.

He was the last one in the hallways, so he clicked a button on his watch. A bright blue screen appeared in front of him, designed with outlines representing the blueprint of where he was, and with tiny red dots that symbolized him and the rest of the people in the broadcasting room. There were no other bodies detected.

The coast was clear.

His travel to the gym was a fairly smooth one. Percy managed to evade any roaming guards with the use of his watch. He ended up at the gym doors but he hesitated before pushing them open.

It's been a while since he was last here. Sure, he and Leo and Jason would sometimes hangout here to work on their sparring techniques, and sometimes Malcolm would show him the ropes of blaster shooting. But somehow being with them was different. They were his best friends (aside from Annabeth, of course), but…

…things weren't the same without Luke around.

And now he was seeing him after almost two months of his absence. He was finally going to find out what was going on after all the drama (that he really, really, really did _not_ need in his life).

Using up all the confidence he managed to conjure in the last ten minutes, he pushed the gym doors open.

He was met with darkness and an apparently empty room. His footsteps echoed and for a second he thought he was making enough noise to get caught, until he remembered to check his watch.

Sure enough, there were two red dots on the projected screen. Which means…

There was suddenly a red blade in the middle of the gym.

Luke's face was illuminated by the light. He was grinning at the new arrival.

"It's nice to see you again, Perseus."

* * *

Percy postponed talking until he was right in front of Luke.

"Um," was the first thing he thought of. "Your saber's red."

Luke brought up his blade to admire it. "Hmm, yeah. The guys at work thought this suited me more. What do you think of it?"

Percy ignored his question, eyebrows scrunching in confusion. "Work? What work?"

"Straight to the point, aren't we?"

"I thought green was more your color," Percy grumbled, though he didn't really mean to. "Look, Luke, no one here knows what's going on and we'd appreciate it if you'd explain."

"Explaining?" Luke smirked. "That sounds like something a dumb villain would do."

"But are you?" Percy pressed. He eyed Luke's saber warily. "A villain, I mean?"

Luke still hadn't extinguished his blade. He cocked his head to the side thoughtfully. "Not if you think you're on the right side."

That's when Percy noticed what Luke was wearing for the first time. He had on camouflage pants and black combat boots. He wore a simple white shirt and a belt around his waist for his saber. On his neck was a necklace with the same red scythe pendant that Leo found by their door earlier this morning.

He looked like an army leader, and he looked even more dangerous under the red glow of his lightsaber.

Percy's hand braced around the hilt of his saber on his waist. "What are you talking about?"

"Hmm. I assume this is the part where I'm supposed to tell you what's been going on with my life."

"Pretty much, yeah. It's already past my curfew, so…"

"Right, right." Luke played along. "Well, I've missed you, Percy, but I'm afraid I didn't come back for more bonding time."

"I figured."

"It's your talent I came back for."

Percy loosened his grip on his hilt. "What?"

"Of course, convincing you is going to be hard, because we don't exactly have the same destinies."

" _Convince_ me? Hey, it's past my bedtime, and I'm kind of really tired of asking you what you mean."

Luke started circling the younger prince, red blade still glowing at his side. "Tell me, Percy. What exactly are you going to do once you graduate from here?"

Percy didn't answer, so Luke continued. "After four years, Olympus Academy calls you a graduate and you're off to become a general in the Aspyros army. Somewhere along the way, you get married and have children. And when the time is right… you become king."

"Um… I already know that," Percy muttered, not knowing where Luke was going.

"That's not exactly _my_ story, Percy," Luke said, glaring at him. "Connor was set to be king, and even now Travis is still in line after him. What was I supposed to be? A general who still worked for his cousins?"

Percy wanted to argue. All his life he was taught that everything he did was for his kingdom. He wasn't as smart as Annabeth and Jason, nor was he as crafty as Leo was, but Percy was loyal. Especially to the planet he's already sworn to give his life to.

"You're going to be serving Pherena, Luke," Percy argued. "There's a difference."

Luke surprised him by suddenly laughing. "Ha! Yeah, like that planet's ever done anything for me. Luckily for Travis, my mind was made up before I even got to killing him!"

…what?

Percy's blood ran cold. He suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe. His grip around his saber hilt tightened so much that he felt like the veins in his hand were going to pop. If Luke took another step closer…

"You… you killed Connor."

"I didn't." Luke grinned. "The poison did."

That was all the encouragement Percy needed.

His blue sword came to life and immediately met with Luke's new red one. Of course, the older prince didn't miss a beat and braced for the attack almost effortlessly. It was probably a funny sight if there were spectators around; Percy's face was dripping beads of sweat as he forced himself onto his opponent, while Luke was merely smirking at him like he anticipated his attack.

"Careful, buddy," Luke warned, chuckling and not even stumbling back. "Man, have you sparred at all ever since I left?"

 _Not as much_ , Percy didn't want to admit. But his exercise was definitely _not_ what's important right now.

"Murderer," Percy spat.

"For a good reason."

"There's never a good reason to kill anyone!"

Luke's eyes hardened under the blue and red lights. "That's where you're wrong, Percy. And unfortunately that's where you're still a child."

Luke took the offense this time. He stepped backward and swung his saber with so much force that Percy nearly tumbled forward when it was his turn to counter an attack.

Luke gritted his teeth. "But your ignorance can be fixed."

"Stop sounding so _dramatic_ ," Percy complained, breathing heavily and trying not to move backwards from Luke's strength. "For the millionth time, I have no idea what you're talking about!"

But wherever Luke was, he probably practiced sparring everyday. He battled with a new aggressiveness that Percy definitely wasn't prepared for, and once upon a time he knew how Luke battled, but…

Percy suddenly landed on his back when Luke's foot suddenly came colliding with his chest.

…clearly not.

His blue blade snapped back to its hilt as he landed with a loud _thud_ that echoed throughout the dark gym. Luke pointed his red lightsaber onto Percy's face, preventing him from getting up. Percy suddenly remembered how they were in this similar position the last time they battled months ago at the school Olympics. The biggest difference was that it was Percy's face _this_ time that risked getting a huge burnt hole on it.

"I came back for your talent, Percy," Luke repeated what he said earlier. "You're wasting all your potential in this stupid school. That's why I'm offering you a proposition."

Percy tried really, _really_ hard not to move his face. "Like I'd want anything that has to do with you."

Luke suddenly ripped the thread on his neck and threw the pendant onto Percy's face, the tip of the tiny red scythe barely missing his eye. "An army. Unlike this school, it trains its students to more than what their potentials can achieve. Unlike this academy, it doesn't blind anyone with false positivity and it teaches reality outside prim and properness. Unlike all the time I've ever spent here, the army has given me a _future_ outside of it."

"To rule so much more than just a stupid planet, to rule even the _whole_ of Olympus," Luke continued. "Percy, Kronos' Army can offer you so much more compared to that little impending duty you're bound to have."

"Whoa, wait," Percy finally spoke. He felt kind of stupid listening to Luke while he was lying flat on the ground with a foot on his chest and a saber threatening his face, but what choice did he have, really? "Kronos' Army? Like… that guy in Tartarus?"

"Oh, he's more than just a _guy_ ," Luke hissed. "He's taught me so much and _you_ , Perseus Jackson of Aspyros, could hold the same privilege."

Percy's mind raced with all the information he was taking in.

Luke all but demanded. "Join me, Percy. You're the perfect person for our cause. Once the war starts… well, you'll be thankful you're on the right side."

"War?" Percy managed to choke. It was probably pointless to ask what he was talking about _again_. His confusion level just spiked up another ten thousand.

"Hmm, yes," Luke considered what he just said. "Aspyros' navy… I'm sure the master will be pleased. And once your little sibling is born… the more the merrier, am I right?"

It was as if all the air was constricted in Percy's throat. "How— _how-?"_

As far as he knew, only the palace knew about his mother's pregnancy. That, along with Annabeth, Jason and Leo. His heart ached at the thought of Luke knowing, like his new little sibling was already tainted with evil before he even got into the world.

Luke laughed at the horror in Percy's eyes. "Don't underestimate the army, my friend. We've got eyes and ears _everywhere_. In fact… Olympus Academy isn't as safe as you think it is."

Annabeth and Percy have suspected that thought for a long time now, but Luke finally gave them the confirmation to be weary.

"Who do you think snuck the poison from Tartarus? Who do you think let me in tonight? Who do you think has been helping me all this time? Questions, questions. This is fun."

Percy glared at his former friend.

He used to feel like he was betraying Luke by thinking about all the accusations towards him. But he didn't suppress what he was feeling now. He was beyond disappointed and betrayed and just _angry_ at this person he used to look up to.

Shows how much he knows.

Percy gripped the extinguished saber in his hand, but paused his thumb at the button.

"Luke, you are…"

His blue blade came to life. It was by some miracle that he was able to swoop Luke's blade to the side without burning his face, but in a few seconds Percy was back on his feet.

"…a dumb villain."

* * *

Why weren't there any guards passing by? Like, seriously?

The lightsabers clashing, the loud footsteps, and the heavy panting should be enough to attract the whole security system, really, especially since it was after hours and they didn't have permission to be at the gym at this moment.

It was amazing that Percy could still bring himself to care about other things when he was madly evading Luke's attacks. It was even more amazing how he couldn't feel how tired he already was.

Luke didn't seem to be bothered by lateness of the night, too. It was as if they were back to their normal selves so long ago, when Percy was still starting out saber sparring in this very gym and Luke was being an awesome friend by teaching him the ways.

Of course, Luke had a red blade for a saber now and he owned a red scythe pendant lying somewhere on the floor, and Percy had already decided a few minutes ago that the blond prince in front of him wasn't his friend anymore. So, yeah…

…maybe "normal" wasn't going to cut it.

"You beat me once, Percy," Luke hissed between gritted teeth in the middle of their battle. "And it's never going to happen again. Unlike the Olympics, this battle doesn't have any rules. I've already said so much and I'm afraid the best choice is _killing_ you."

Percy managed to roll his eyes. "Shut up."

Seriously, where were the guards? Their duel was going nowhere and Percy's best chance was probably other people interfering. Luke used to be the Golden Boy of the school, but boy, if anyone heard all the stuff he's said a few moments ago…

Wait.

Praise the gods of Olympus, he knew what to do now.

Quickly planning the probably stupid idea in his head, he made a mad dash out of the gym.

 **End of Chapter Fourteen**

* * *

Um... more cliffhangers?

Friendly reminder that this story is about to close. There are about three chapters left and then a sequel. :) Thank you to all those who support this story! You guys are amazing!

If you have anything to say, feel free to leave a review! For questions, I'm most likely going to answer on my Tumblr account: **itsscaryyoke.** The link is on my profile! Thank you for reading! I hope everyone's having a great break! :)

-YJ


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you for the response (and for all the birthday greetings :D)! Here's a chapter to celebrate the new year!**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own PJO, HoO, Star Wars, and any other familiar references in this story. All rights belong to their respective owners.

* * *

 **Of Crowns and Cookies**

 **Chapter Fifteen**

Percy rushed out of the gym with Luke running in tow, knowing full well that the older prince wasn't going to let anyone who knew his story escape. Percy wasn't really sure where he was going with what he'd planned in his head, and he tried really, really hard not to think about the possibility that he could hurt other people in the process, but it was worth a shot.

It was a miracle that he was able to make it to the academic building without alerting any guards. But _seriously_. Where were they? After all those times they almost caught Percy missing curfew, they choose _now_ to suddenly disappear?

His blue blade was still burning bright at his side. That, along the exhaustion, was making him sweat unattractively. Behind him, Luke wasn't very far.

"Only cowards run, Percy Jackson!" Luke growled behind him.

"So why did you?!" Percy retorted, finally making it to his desired floor. The broadcasting room still had its lights on. "ANNABETH! GET THE PEOPLE OUT OF THERE!"

Unfortunately, no one understood him. When he skidded to a stop outside the room with the holo-casters inside, several pairs of bewildered eyes greeted him.

He only managed to say, "Uh, hi. You guys need to get out of here" when Luke finally caught up to him. Luckily, Percy was able to brace himself for the attack.

Several screams were heard inside the room as Luke's crimson blade met with Percy's sapphire one. The older prince ruthlessly battled even with the terrified spectators. The sounds of their sabers were almost drowned out by their ruckus, and it was a miracle that no one rushed to see what was going on.

Suddenly, Percy could hear Annabeth screaming, "Everyone, out the window! The fire exit!"

Bless Annabeth Chase and her brilliant mind.

Unfortunately, and as selfish as this sounds, he _needed_ her to stay for his plan. Hopefully, Annabeth could deduce why he had ran all the way from the gym to the broadcasting room.

Percy gave it a few more seconds, then he rushed into the broadcasting room, just as the last person inside was climbing out. He couldn't see Annabeth anywhere.

The broadcasting room was divided into two: one for where the controls were and for their discussions as the holo-cast team, and the other for the actual filming of the holo-cast or the "set" for their productions. There was a glass window on the wall separating them, and a door that had the supposed-to-be-illuminated sign with the words "On Air" on it.

Percy immediately went for the broadcasting set and he landed on the anchor's table when Luke kicked him from behind. His chest throbbed at the impact and his lightsaber made a long, ugly burn mark on the platform, but from his position he was able to lock eyes with Annabeth, who was hiding beneath the table and was trying her hardest not to scream.

Percy bit his lip and motioned (hopefully) subtly for the other room, and Annabeth nodded.

 _Dear gods I hope she understood._

He suddenly felt something excruciatingly painful at the small of his back and he let out a pained cry.

"Whoops," Luke said before chuckling darkly.

Luke had _burned_ him. The Pherena prince had – for the first time since they've dueled together – slashed his sword against Percy's skin and finally made his villain's mark.

This definitely wasn't the friend Percy knew. He felt an ugly mixture of anger and betrayal and hurt and just pure _so, this definitely isn't going to end well_ kind of feeling.

Percy glared at nothing in particular, ignoring the pain on his back and finally pushing himself up from the table. He hoped Annabeth got out without Luke noticing, and he wasn't sure how she was going to do that, but he didn't doubt her one bit.

"You…" Percy said, facing Luke once more. "…are getting me a new shirt!"

 _Oh, it's on._

He was up despite the searing pain on his back. He wasted no time meeting Luke's saber again.

Now he needed to get the older prince talking.

Percy went straight to the point. "You killed Connor."

Luke smirked amongst the flashing lights. "Still can't believe that, huh?"

"Could you maybe just tell me the whole story quickly so that you can go straight to killing me?"

"Oh, how I've missed your humor, my friend."

At the corner of Percy's eye, Annabeth somehow made it to the other room and into the control area. She nodded seriously at him.

 _Gods_ , she was amazing. How did she manage to do that without getting caught? But nope. He shouldn't be getting dreamy thoughts right now. There was time to admire her later.

If, of course, he made it out alive.

"And Kronos' Army?" Percy prodded.

"Only the best thing's that's ever happened to me," Luke answered, parrying Percy's attacks and only slightly stumbling because of the limited space they had in the broadcasting room.

It was a good thing that they've long ago mastered the art of talking while dueling.

"I'm offering you for the last time, Percy," Luke continued, hitting Percy's saber with so much force that the younger prince almost stumbled back again. Luke hit a bunch of wires overhead, and Percy breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was just one of the lightings. His plan would've been ruined had it been one of the cameras or the microphones.

He could see Annabeth fumbling with the buttons on the control panel.

 _Please, please understand._

Percy settled for stating his words again. "So you killed Connor and now you're part of some kind of army."

Luke glared at him. "For the millionth _fucking_ time, Jackson, _yes_!"

There was an unusual echo in his voice.

Percy grinned internally, sending Annabeth a silent _thank you_ in his head. "You plan to take over Olympus."

"One step at a time," Luke glowered. "And I start by destroying _you_ and this stupid school full of unrealistic royalties."

Percy could hear their voices from outside the broadcasting room and he knew his plan was working. Now he just needed to hold off Luke for a little longer until help can arrive…

A new idea popped into Percy's head. He thought back to his first duel session with Luke, way back to the very first day he had held his saber for the first time. Percy remembered that Luke had taught him something, but there was no way in Olympus that he could pull _that_ technique off.

Still, if he could do it…

Percy gritted his teeth and tried to keep up with Luke madly smashing his saber to find an opening. Wherever he was training in the past few months, the Pherena prince was definitely taught not to give a care about hurting others.

Smoke was finally filling the set as more cords were slashed and more objects fell to the floor.

Annabeth and the rest of the broadcasting crew were definitely going to kill a certain Aspyros prince.

Percy could feel his heartbeat right at his temples, but he needed to try this stupid new idea. He tried to rack at the back of his head how Luke demonstrated the technique way back to that first session.

He waited until Luke aimed for another attack, and then Percy bit his lip, closed his eyes, and quickly flicked his wrist like Luke had taught him.

" _Fuck!_ " Luke cried out, and Percy quickly opened his eyes to catch Luke's saber hilt flying with his free hand. The older boy was on the ground with his arm right over his eyes. "You _fucking blinded_ me!"

Percy walked over to him, pressing a button on the acquired saber and slowly bringing the red blade back to life. He trapped the fallen prince's head by crossing the two sabers across his neck.

He never thought that he'd actually be able to see a sight like this—him holding someone else's life in his hands. Below him was his former friend turned murderer, and Percy didn't know if he was a recently turned bad guy, or if he was just faking their friendship the entire time.

And, really, Percy shouldn't feel so sympathetic after everything, but…

"Is everything really too late, Luke?"

His voice must've cracked, but he couldn't be sure.

Luke chuckled darkly once he was able to adjust his vision. He smirked at Percy standing over him. "You're definitely a talented one, Perseus Jackson."

Luke's expression answered for him.

Yeah, maybe it was too late.

Thankfully, the school officials chose this moment to barge into the broadcasting room. What met them was the sight of a completely ruined broadcasting room, a disoriented Annabeth Chase by the control panel, and a Percy Jackson threateningly holding two sabers by the long-missing Luke Castellan's neck.

Mrs. Dodds, the headmistress, was leading the rest of the faculty and was holding a blaster in her hands. She had a pink robe over her sleeping clothes and her gray hair was in a messy bun. The rest of the officials who arrived were also in their sleeping attire. Percy recognized Mr. Brunner, his Geography One teacher, and Charon, Jason's Economics One professor. Their gym instructor was shirtless in a pair of boxers.

Percy would've laughed, but his subconscious told him right now definitely wasn't the time.

"What…" Mrs. Dodds' eyes were wide as she took in the scene before her. "…in Olympus' name happened in here?!"

"Uh, hi," Percy stuttered. He motioned for Luke beneath him. His arms ached. "Could you guys… uh… help?"

Mrs. Dodds nodded her head seriously and motioned for the guards beside her.

Percy tried not to scowl as he saw the guards because _greaaat they choose_ now _to arrive._ Where in the world were they, seriously? Annabeth had the same unimpressed expression on.

One of the guards stepped on Luke's chest as they prodded Percy's sabers away from his neck. Soon the Pherena prince had his hands worn down by white cuffs that were tightly wrapped around his wrists. He had blasters pointed at him everywhere to keep him from moving.

"We came as soon as the holo-casts were projected at the teachers' quarters," Mr. Brunner said as Luke was being taken away.

"Did you hear everything?" Annabeth asked them, taking Percy's hand once he stood right next to her. Both his and Luke's saber hilts were now resting on his belt. He decided he'll figure out what to do with the other one later.

"We most certainly did, Ms. Chase," Mrs. Dodds said. "I think a discussion about this and a school boards meeting is in order. We'd also like to know how is it that the two of you ended up in this predicament. And after hours, at that." She was eyeing Percy as she said this.

"Um," Percy tried to say. "I think I can explain."

"Nonetheless," Mr. Brunner interjected. "What you did was a brave thing, Perseus. You were able to get Luke Castellan admit to Connor Stoll's death."

"Among other things, too," Annabeth added. "Professors, Percy was able to get Luke to say something about an army."

"We'll bring this up at the school boards meeting," Mr. Brunner promised.

But the headmistress huffed. "You don't perhaps think that that Castellan boy is merely deranged?"

Annabeth shook her head. "Luke is smart, headmistress. I think we should take the things he was saying seriously."

"Ms. Chase is right, Minerva," Mr. Brunner agreed. "Luke was my student once. His mind works brilliantly and he wouldn't join any cause if he didn't think it was good for him."

"We'll talk about this later, Chiron," Mrs. Dodds chided. "In the meantime, the two of you, head straight to the nurse's clinic before heading to my office. We will leave no details out of this mess."

It was Annabeth who had the energy to drag the both of them outside the room.

* * *

They were sitting on the benches outside the headmistress' office.

Percy's head was slumped on her shoulder, and one of Annabeth's hands was tracing the bandaged portion of his back exposed by his burnt shirt. He was trying not to fall asleep, but her hand movements were making it difficult to do so.

He suddenly felt her lips on his temple.

"Sleepy," he mumbled.

She chuckled lightly. "You're amazing, Percy. How you managed to do all that… I have no idea. No wonder Luke was asking you to join him, whatever it is that he's part of."

"He was my friend, Annabeth," he said, his voice cracking embarrassingly. "He wanted to kill me when I said I wouldn't join the army."

Her hand stopped tracing patterns on his back, and he wanted to whine at the sudden loss of contact, but her hand wrapped around his waist instead, pulling him closer to her.

"Will you tell me everything that happened?"

"We were at the gym," he recalled. "He got a new red saber, told me he got it at the army he was working with. He said something about a war…" He winced as he remembered their conversation. "He wanted me to join him. He said he hated the academy. And, _Annabeth_ ," Percy wanted to cry but he had no idea why. "He killed Connor and he said that he was going to kill Travis too before his mind changed." He shook his head vigorously. "He knows that my mother's pregnant. I don't know how, but…"

"You're terrified."

"Very." He finally lifted his head from her shoulder and turned in such a way that he could hug her tightly. "Luke was the first friend I made but he's an asshole. I'm glad I have you, Jason, Leo, and Piper. _You_ , especially. You were amazing back there. I was afraid you weren't going to understand my plan."

"I figured you had a reason to run all the way to the broadcasting room, and it wasn't just because you missed me."

He still hadn't let go of her. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "Bless your brilliant mind."

"I'm just really glad you're okay." Her voice was cracking, and she sounded as if she was about to cry. "Your burn looked terrible."

He managed to laugh. "Gee, thanks."

"But you were amazing back there," she added. "Really, really amazing, but you're going to kill _me_ with worry because you seriously have a death wish."

Percy sported a real grin this time. He finally pulled away only to lean down and give her a kiss on the lips. He felt her smile as her hands moved their way up to his hair, pulling him down closer and deepening the kiss.

Suddenly there was someone clearing her throat.

They pulled away to see the school faculty in their sleeping attire, their eyebrows raised at the two teenagers caught making out.

"Um," Percy stuttered. "We're good."

Mrs. Dodds rolled her eyes as she led everyone to her office.

 **End of Chapter Fifteen**

* * *

 **Two more chapters left! :o Details about the sequel will be revealed on the next chapter.** **Reviews are welcome. For questions, I'll most likely answer through my Tumblr ask: itsscaryyoke.**

 **For those of you who didn't notice: the way Percy had Luke's head trapped with two sabers is synonymous with how Anakin trapped Dooku's head in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Anyone else who watched that movie?**

 **Thank you for reading! You guys are the best!**

 **-YJ**


	16. Chapter 16

**This is the last chapter before the epilogue! Aaah! I'll see you at the bottom!**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own PJO, HoO, Star Wars, or any other familiar references in the story. All rights belong to respective owners.

* * *

 **Of Crowns and Cookies**

 **Chapter Sixteen**

No one was really paying attention to Mr. Brunner's lesson.

Apparently, the teachers weren't the only ones who were woken up by the holo-casts the previous Saturday night. Everyone had heard how Luke Castellan admitted to killing Connor Stoll, and everyone had seen Percy knock the older prince to his feet.

And now everyone wanted to know what was going on.

Even Jason, Piper, and Leo had their mouths hanging open earlier that morning at breakfast, but thankfully they didn't say anything. Annabeth wasn't in the mood to talk either, and she glared at anyone who had the decency to stare at her and Percy.

And Percy? Well, he just wasn't comfortable with all the staring. That, and the fact that what happened with Luke still left him pretty shaken up. To say that he didn't get much sleep and rest in the past weekend was kind of an understatement.

"Okay, I guess I'll just have to wrap this up and let you go," Mr. Brunner said suddenly, making everyone snap their attentions back to the front. Mr. Brunner raised an eyebrow. "What? It's not like any of you are listening today. Go on. Class is dismissed. Go on; take your lunches."

There was a hesitant ambience as everyone gathered up their things and stood up to leave the classroom. Percy sighed tiredly, grabbing his own bag and slinging it onto his shoulder.

He was almost on the way out when Mr. Brunner stopped him. "Percy, may I have a word with you?"

Percy shrugged and nodded. "Sure, sir." He hadn't seen Mr. Brunner since that Friday night. After he and Annabeth got to tell their story to the school faculty, they were quickly ushered out and were told to finally get some rest. They didn't get to find out what the teachers discussed after that, nor do they know what Luke's fate was.

"How are you, Your Highness?" Mr. Brunner asked once they were alone.

Percy didn't even bother lying. "Tired. Otherwise fine, I think."

"Have you and Annabeth got to talk about what happened?"

Percy shook his head. "Not really, Mr. Brunner, no. I've been… uh, I've been on my bed the whole weekend. We weren't really in the mood to go out."

"Is Annabeth all right?"

Percy thought back to this morning and how Annabeth hugged him when she saw him. "She's taking it better than I am, I guess."

Mr. Brunner considered this. "Hmm, then I guess the both of you are ready to find out what the school boards discussed and what happened to Luke."

 _That_ got the prince's attention. Since he and Annabeth were pushed away by Mrs. Dodds immediately, they never got to find out a lot, even if they were kind of a big part of the mess. At the time, Percy was just glad that he wasn't getting in trouble for staying up past curfew and for destroying the broadcasting room.

But he definitely needed to know what was going on.

"If that's okay, Mr. Brunner."

"Please, call me Chiron when we're out of the class," the professor insisted. "I suppose we're going to have to start with what I assume is what you're most interested in. Luke Castellan, am I correct?"

Percy nodded. "Where is he, sir?"

"King Hermes of Pherena was immediately contacted right after your duel with Luke. He decided his nephew's fate, and the school boards agreed with him. Luke was immediately sent to Tartarus, since the King thought his crimes were grave enough to send him there. I'd agree on normal circumstances, but…"

"Luke can't be sent to Tartarus!" Percy practically had his jaw on the floor. It was kind of embarrassing having an outburst in front of a teacher, but he couldn't help it. "Mr. Brunner, Luke was talking about some guy named Kronos and an army, and isn't that person in Tartarus? Luke's probably fine and off the hook going back there!"

Chiron frowned. "I brought that up in the meeting, too, but I'm afraid King Hermes insists and the school boards merely think Luke's delusional. Apparently, anyone who's crazy enough to kill their own cousin is just that – _crazy._ "

"Or really evil," Percy insisted. "That's _insane_. I don't think they should easily dismiss Luke's threats so easily. He was just a student but he _killed_ someone."

"You and I have the same sentiments, Your Highness," Chiron sighed. "Unfortunately, there's more bad news. The school's practically doing nothing about the event. I'm not sure if the broadcasting team's allowed to release a statement."

"But that… that's _bullshit_."

Percy realized a second too late that he swore for the first time in his life. His mouth immediately felt funny and he had a sudden urge to wipe his mouth with his sleeve, but, really, the situation called for such a blasphemy.

"I'm sorry," he apologized almost too quickly. "But, _really_? What about safety measures? What did the school boards say about that?"

Mr. Brunner's frown answered his question.

"But…" Percy protested. "They're housing _royalties_. Literal futures to whole planets. They're dismissing Luke just like _that_? Mr. Brunner, who were the powerful voices that night? Annabeth and I deduced that there was someone here helping Luke, and Luke confirmed it."

"I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that, Your Highness, but I do have a proposition."

"Sir?"

"You and your friends. This classroom. Later at midnight."

Percy's head cocked to the side, confused. "Meet up here? Like… later?" Chiron nodded. "But that's past curfew!"

Mr. Brunner raised an eyebrow.

Percy flushed. "Good point. Um, your proposition, sir?"

The professor made sure that no one else was listening before telling Percy his plan.

* * *

Percy arrived late for lunch that day.

All the others around his table had their eyebrows raised, staying quiet, but Annabeth had different plans when she saw him.

She scowled at him as he slid next to her on the bench. "Where were you?"

Another thing that was new? Annabeth's protectiveness spiked up a notch.

Piper and Jason decided to cast their eyes on their lunches instead, but Leo remained staring at him, his eyes asking all the questions for his chewing mouth.

Percy took a deep breath, his gaze particularly on Jason, Piper, and Leo. "Yeah, uh, Annabeth and I kind of owe you guys an explanation."

Piper waved her hand as Jason swallowed. "Hey," Jason said. "We have no idea what's going on, but whatever it is, take your time, Percy." Piper nodded along with him.

But Leo had a different mindset. "Nah, I kind of want to know what's up."

Percy had to smile slightly at his candor. Annabeth spoke before he could. She ducked her head down so only their table could hear her next words. " _Here_ , Percy, really? Someone could be listening."

"I can't say much right now, yeah," Percy agreed with her. "But, uh, I suppose I need to say a little bit for my next words to make sense." He took in a deep breath. "I'll explain more later, I promise. Long story short, the school's not doing anything about Luke's threats, and Mr. Brunner has a plan about it. I need your help."

The table was quiet for a moment.

Piper broke the silence first. Her voice was soft and there was a hint of trembling to it. "He really did kill Connor, didn't he? Luke?"

Annabeth nodded. "Percy was the last one he talked to before he ran away, and he contacted Percy a few days ago and tried to recruit him into the army he's apparently in."

"An army?" Jason's eyebrows furrowed.

"So that red thingy we found on our door the other day…" Leo mused. "That was from Luke?"

Percy nodded. "He got sent to Tartarus, which I kind of think is a bad idea."

" _Tartarus_ , seriously?" Annabeth cried out in hushed exclamation. "But… that army he speaks of could be stationed there for all we know!"

"Exactly, and the school's not taking the recent events seriously. That's why Mr. Brunner has a plan, and it involves us guys and meeting at his office later tonight."

They didn't even miss a beat.

Jason nodded along with Leo. "We're game for anything, bro. Just tell us what to do."

Annabeth and Piper exchanged looks before Piper grinned. "I've never been out past curfew before. This should be fun. Count me in."

Annabeth merely held Percy's hand under the table, squeezing his hand underneath as her confirmation.

Suddenly Percy felt a little guilty, and _gods_ was he that stupid? He couldn't believe he was _that_ upset over Luke's running away and his betrayal. These guys – Jason, Leo, Piper, and Annabeth – were his family. They were his best friends and the people he could count on the most.

"Thank you," Percy said, feeling a sudden rush of relief and happiness because _oh wow his friends were really great, okay?_ He suddenly didn't feel very alone, like he didn't have the weight of being responsible on his shoulders anymore. He had them and they were there to back him up.

Their normal lunch ambience quickly came back after that. Percy merely ignored the questioning looks that were being thrown his way, and it was easy to forget his tiredness while Annabeth held his hand, or while Jason and Piper laughed at Leo's stupid jokes. They knew they had an important task later that night, but thankfully everyone had the same notion to keep the mood light in the meantime.

Yeah, his friends were the best.

Leo was in a middle of retelling a story about some girl he tried to hit on, when he stopped and motioned for something behind Percy.

All the rest peered around to see Travis Stoll clearly walking towards their table.

"Hi," the Pherena prince said once he was in front of them. Percy couldn't read his face. "Uh, is it okay if I borrow Percy for a second?"

Annabeth answered for him. She let go of Percy's hand and slowly nudged him towards Travis. He nodded and slid off the bench.

"Okay. I'll be right back," he promised his friends.

A lot of people stared as Travis and Percy walked out of the mess hall and into the corridors. Percy could see why it was such a big deal. After all, it was Travis' cousin that Percy almost defeated, and it was his own cousin that killed his brother. Who knew what was going on inside Travis' head?

Travis didn't even hesitate once they were alone.

"I'm not leaving," he told Percy. His hands were shaking and Percy could tell that there was something like fear in his eyes, but Travis was putting on a brave face. "My father… he, uh, he told me that I shouldn't be staying here anymore. Actually, he _demanded_ I go back home to the palace and just get a tutor again."

"Travis…" Percy started slowly, not sure what to say.

Travis took in a shaky breath. "I don't know what you know, Percy Jackson, but I do know that you're the closest person who knows at least some of the answers. My own cousin killed Connor—" his voice broke finally. "—and _please_. I can't stand all the secrecy that's happening. I'm not leaving until I know what's going on."

It was weird, feeling something dangerously close to heartbreak. "I'm really sorry for everything, Travis," Percy said. "What happened with Luke—"

" _Don't_ ," Travis hissed, but his expression was pained. "Don't say his name. I _hate_ him. Don't apologize for that _murderer_ , Percy. I can see why he trusted you, and word has it that he came back so _you_ could join him. I just… I just need to know that you're not him. That you're not like him. That you're here because you actually stood up to that asshole, and not faking like he has been doing all this time."

"I'm not him, Travis." Dear gods, was he shaking? "I promise you, and I know how I can prove it to you."

"What?"

"Are you busy tonight?"

* * *

"You're early."

Percy nearly jumped at the sound of Chiron's voice. The older man was sitting at the teacher's table like he usually did, but somehow Percy failed to notice him without all the bright classroom lights.

"Mr. Brunner," Percy acknowledged the older man. "I'm sorry. I didn't see you there, sir."

In the midst of the darkness, Mr. Brunner smiled at him. "I thought I told you to call me Chiron outside of class, Your Highness."

"Chiron," Percy tested the name. "Right. My bad. Uh, I hope you don't mind. I arrived earlier than the rest. Jason's getting the princesses, and Leo's in charge of Travis."

"I'm assuming they both have the same watch you have."

Percy nodded. "I gave them one each after winter break. I didn't think we'd actually be needing them."

Chiron looked like he was considering this before he hummed in agreement. "I'm glad you were prepared nonetheless," Chiron said. "Although I have to admit… I was hoping you'd arrive before everyone else did."

"Sir?"

"Sit down, Percy," Mr. Brunner instructed, motioning for the chair directly in front of the table. Percy did as he was told. "Have you thought about the plan at all?"

"Um… I have." He thought about it since the professor told him, but he wasn't going to admit how antsy he was feeling.

"Do you have questions about it?"

"A lot," he didn't bother hiding this time. "For instance, sir, who's going to do all the training?"

"Don't be silly, Percy." Was Chiron smiling? Why was he smiling? "I will, of course."

Percy tried to keep his jaw intact, he swore. " _You?_ "

"You sound surprised," Chiron chuckled. "I would be thoroughly offended if I didn't understand your shock, however. I fought in my planet's army before I decided to become a professor instead. Thankfully, I always loved learning; so shifting into teaching wasn't much of a difficulty."

Percy found one of his hands ghosting over his saber hilt on his belt. Was there anything better than the exhilarating feeling of battling with a lightsaber? "But… why did you leave?"

"I'm afraid I don't have a dramatic backstory to partner my decision. I simply got tired." Chiron thoughtfully eyed Percy's saber hilt. "I suppose being as young as you are, you wouldn't be able to understand. I used to feel the same thing – the _power_ of battling with a lightsaber and feeling its hum as if it was your own life force. But not everything lasts, Percy. It's the most useful lesson I've learned in all my years of seeing the world."

Percy didn't know what to say, so it was a good thing that Leo chose that moment to enter the classroom with Travis in tow.

Chiron's words lingered in his head, however. Right now, there were more important things to do.

" _Man!_ " Leo exclaimed in hushed whispers. "This is so cool! This is _way_ better than just sneaking into the mess hall for ice cream!"

Chiron raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He smiled warmly at the new arrivals not a second later.

"Travis, hi," Percy greeted the Pherena prince, standing up from where he was previously seated. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Oh, he was chickening out, believe me." Leo rolled his eyes. "But I managed to convince him. Now, isn't this _cool_ , Travis? Doesn't this feel like a super secret mission?"

"I suppose," Travis muttered. "At least we have faculty supervision in case we get in trouble. Hello, Mr. Brunner."

"Please." Chiron nodded thoughtfully. "Call me Chiron while we're in this _secret mission_ , Your Highnesses."

Leo grinned at him.

Jason entered the classroom not a few minutes later, holding one of Piper's hands and tugging her inside the classroom. Annabeth entered right after the couple, and Percy immediately excused himself once he saw her. He motioned for Piper and Jason to join the others by Chiron's table, wrapping an arm around Annabeth's waist and pushing her towards the direction of the door so they could be alone for a few seconds.

The rest of them understood what he wanted.

Annabeth raised her eyebrow once they were out of the classroom. Her expression was immediately replaced by surprise when he suddenly hugged her.

"I'm sorry," he said immediately, burying his face onto her hair and shutting his eyes because _why in the world was he close to crying?_

She hugged him back but he could tell that she was confused. "Whatever in Olympus are you sorry for?"

He sighed, pulling away for a second so he could look at her. "It's just… the past few days have been—" he shook his head miserably. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to talk to you. I'm sorry I've been… _out_ recently. I'm sorry—"

Remember when he said Annabeth was good at making him shut up?

Well, she was demonstrating that skill now.

Annabeth was such a good kisser that he actually _feared_ what that would mean for their future conversations. Not that he was complaining, though.

She used one of her arms to wrap around her neck and the other hand to tangle itself into his hair. He made a muffled sound as she kissed him deeper, playfully pushing him backwards and towards the door of the classroom.

Unfortunately, that's when Leo saw them.

"Ahem!" He cried out loudly, probably forgetting that they weren't supposed to be where they were in the middle of the night. "Why weren't we informed of this development?"

Annabeth ignored him as she pulled away, giving Percy a stern look. "Don't apologize for something that you can't help, Perseus Jackson. You were tired and you deserved the rest, even if that meant not speaking to your girlfriend for a while."

"Girlfriend?" Despite everything, Percy couldn't help himself; he actually _smiled_ , momentarily forgetting that there were other people (one of which was a professor) watching them. "Is that what you are now?"

She shrugged, finally entering the room and still ignoring all the smirks being sent their way.

Percy shook his head to wipe the grin off his face and to ground himself back to reality. The other's expectant faces did a good job of that. Chiron smiled at him for encouragement. He stood at the front of the room, facing his friends.

"Hi," he started awkwardly. "I guess you're all wondering why you're here tonight."

So he told the story of being friends with Luke and how he contacted Percy during winter break. He told them of how Luke lied about King Hermes preventing the Pherena princes from going back to the academy, and of how he just disappeared after calling Percy.

There were a lot of stories to tell: about the call during the academy's anniversary, the red scythe at the bottom of Percy and the guys' door, skipping curfew and meeting Luke at the gym, the duel, and how Luke was trying to get Percy to join Kronos' Army. By the time Percy stopped talking, only Annabeth and Chiron didn't have their jaws hanging.

"And now Luke's in Tartarus, where this army could possibly be," Percy continued. "Except for Luke's confession about killing Connor, the school boards are dismissing all the other things he's saying. But…"

"They _can't_." Travis was shaking his head frantically. "They're _insane._ That man admitted to killing my brother. How come they're not taking him seriously?"

"I'm afraid that's the problem, Your Highness," Chiron answered. "But, that's where Percy has a plan."

"It's _Chiron's_ plan," Percy corrected. "This is where we come in. Since there are zero steps being taken for the students' safety, Chiron and I are proposing we take the matters into our own hands."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jason asked. The others had the same confused expression.

"An army of our own. I mean, not really, since it's only going to be us initially," Percy said. "There's someone in this school we can't trust. There's a lot going on, and since no one's willing to investigate, we could dedicate ourselves to keeping the rest of the students safe and to finding out what's going on."

"An army of our own," Leo repeated.

Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows. "Investigating."

"Hmm," Piper mused. "Does this mean Annabeth and I can finally learn how to fight and stuff? Because I'm kind of getting tired of basic first aid for PE."

"I honestly think this is a great idea," Jason said. "The school's forbidding any sort of activity related to the event, right? They're not even allowing the broadcasting team to say anything to the student body. Eventually, this whole thing with Luke is going to be forgotten, but the academy could still be in danger."

"Very well said, Jason." Chiron nodded at him. "That was exactly our concern and the reason why we initially thought of this idea. And to answer your question, Ms. McLean, _yes_ , you and Annabeth can learn how to fight. Percy here is an expert with a lightsaber, as you already know."

"And I think we can recruit others, too," Annabeth added. "My brother Malcolm's pretty good with a blaster. Maybe he can teach us then."

Percy tried not to grin at his friends' enthusiasm. Suddenly all the nervousness he's had since the morning was starting to dissipate.

Percy faced the Pherena prince, who had suddenly gone very quiet.

"Travis?"

For the first time in forever, Travis had that mischievous glint in his eyes again.

"I knew there was a reason I stayed."

 **End of Chapter Sixteen**

* * *

Since this is the unofficial last chapter of this story, I'd just like to thank everyone for all the response that was given to this story. Thank you so much for reading and for supporting, for pushing me to write even though this setting was difficult as hell. Haha. The epilogue will be posted along with the first chapter of the sequel hopefully by next week.

As for the sequel, there is a time jump and Percy and the gang are already in their senior year! So, yay! All the stuff I was reluctant to write (because percabeth are only fifteen here) will hopefully be incorporated into that story. Also, there are more details into Luke's backstory and about the future armies, so yeah. It's going to be hella fun to write.

Questions? **tumblr: i tsscaryyoke. **The link is on my profile. Go tell me what you think. :)

Thank you again for reading! -YJ :)

 **edit:** I forgot to mention that this idea was inspired by both Star Wars and Harry Potter, just in case anyone's wondering. _Order of the Phoenix_ , anyone?


	17. Epilogue

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own PJO, HoO, Star Wars, or any other familiar references in this story. All rights belong to their respective owners.

* * *

 **Of Crowns and Cookies**

 **Epilogue**

Hedge's first words when he saw the prince didn't surprise Percy one bit.

"You look different, Your Highness."

"And you're still just as handsome, Hedge." Percy grinned at him. "I _feel_ different."

And that wasn't a lie. Sure, he was tired from all that was going on lately, but he was different in the sense that… well, he felt like he _grew_ up. His remaining months at the academy and everything that's been going on in his life made sure of that.

What was new? For starters, there was his group of friends and their newfound mission to figure out what was going on inside the academy. Leo had jokingly called themselves "Chiron's Army" and had even offered to make a logo for them. The Ceprione prince was _that_ enthusiastic that no one bothered to complain, but since the school still wasn't allowing any forms of activity in relation to the events with Luke, they were trying hard to keep the thing as quiet as possible.

That's why they were only slowly growing. They've only told people they thought they could trust and could actually help with their cause. Aside from the original people in Chiron's classroom that night, they've talked to Annabeth's brother Malcolm and Jason's older sister Thalia.

The most interesting part was that… well, what Jason said that first night became true. Everyone was slowly forgetting about Luke and the events projected in the holo-cast, which was both a good thing and a bad thing for them. For obvious reasons, it sucked that no one else was taking Luke's words seriously, but at least everyone left them alone.

For instance, it wasn't really an unusual sight to see Percy Jackson training hard at the gym anymore. People just assumed that he was working twice as hard lately because of his encounter with Luke, which was sort of true. But at least no one bothered to question why Jason and Leo were frequenting the gym, too, or why Mr. Brunner would whip out his saber when no one's ever seen him do that before. Of course, there was also Piper and Annabeth who had taken an interest to learning the ropes of dueling, but people probably just assumed _that_ had something to do with their respective boyfriends.

He and his friends were starting to become actually _good_ at the whole dueling thing. They really needed a training room of their own before things started to get suspicious.

Oh, and yeah. There was Annabeth.

Did he need to say more, really? The girl was a walking goddess, and Percy was glad that he's the one who's able to hold her hand and kiss her when no one's looking. She kept him sane in the midst of everything.

"Well," Hedge said, bringing Percy out of his reverie. "I hope you're ready to go home. Little Tyson's waiting for you."

Percy smiled at the mention of his new little sibling. A few seconds later, Hedge grabbed Percy's luggage bags and loaded them onto the cruiser with the Aspyros symbol. Percy chose this moment to turn around from the ship and stare at the academy once more.

He would only be gone for less than three months, so why did his heart feel heavy?

Hedge must've noticed the prince's somberness because he chuckled lightly, placing a hand on Percy's shoulder. "I see a lot has changed. You look reluctant to leave."

"Well," Percy sighed, facing their ship once more. "It has been home for the past year."

"Look at you. The school did wonders for you." Hedge smiled at him. "Don't worry, kiddo. You're going back."

 _But not everything lasts, Percy_ , the prince remembered Chiron saying.

Nothing lasts… but he still had three more years at the academy.

Percy managed to grin.

"I sure will, Hedge."

 **End of "Of Crowns and Cookies"**

* * *

 **This is by far the most bizarre fic I've ever written. Thank you so much for reading and for keeping up with me! See you in "Of Royalties and Responsibilities"!**

 **:)**

 **-YJ**


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